Take Care
by EvieLyn
Summary: Eric is badly injured when a Factionless man attacks his unit. Laney Jameson is the head nurse on duty when he's brought in. Laney is affected by the accident and makes sure Eric is taken care of, much to his and Four's displeasure. As Eric recovers, she finds herself drawn to him, despite her hesitation, and realizes that maybe Eric wasn't the only one who needed taking care of.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** Hello, readers! This is my first Divergent story, and I really hope you guys like it as much as I have writing it. I've been writing on a couple of Divergent stories for a couple of months, and while doing so, this idea popped into my head one day. My initial idea included Tris as the main character, because I'm a sucker for Eris as well as Fourtris, but I thought I would have a little bit more wiggle room with an original character.

I'll be using the movie likenesses and ages for the characters, because who doesn't love Jai Courtney and Theo James? ;) Laney is played by Camilla Luddington, who is featured in the story banner if you're not familiar with her. This story is set about three years before Tris transfers to Dauntless, so that would make Eric, Four, and Laney all around 21-ish. I'm not going to explain Laney's background here because it will be revealed in the story, but feel free to take guesses if you like. There's also not really any talk of Divergents. I thought about using that briefly, but figured it would make things more complicated, so I nixed it for the plot of this story. There may some references toward Eric's dealings with Erudite here and there, but they're not direct and, at this point in the timeline, aren't very clear to Dauntless members, anyway.

This story was supposed to be maybe five chapters max, but I'm already writing chapter six, so who knows how far it'll end up going. I don't see it going over ten chapters, but we'll see since I don't have a set outline per se. I'll keep you posted since I'm ahead of you guys in the story. The chapters are not very long at all, which is new for me because in my other story the chapters are mostly quite lengthy. I don't have a set posting day, but updates should be fairly regular since I have a couple more chapters already written.

This story is rated M for a reason, and I do tend to push that a bit, so keep that in mind. This story is not beta'd, so I apologize for any errors. Also, I am not a medical expert, obviously, so I apologize ahead of time if I got anything medically-related wrong, which I'm sure I did.

Ok, enough talking. I'll let you get to reading. I love feedback. I hope you enjoy!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations in later chapters, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Prologue**

It was nearing the end of the day as Laney Jameson stepped out from behind the curtains in main room of the infirmary for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. Her body was just as exhausted as her mind. This was her third straight shift after picking up one for a co-worker who had called in sick. She had about forty-five minutes remaining before she would head up to her apartment and soak in a hot bath before passing out for the rest of the night.

Removing the ponytail holder from her messy hair and sticking it on her wrist momentarily, she gathered her long, dark brunette locks in her hands as she redid the ponytail tighter while making her way down the hall to the small office for all of the nurses. She sat down at the desk and began filling out the remainder of the necessary paperwork that had accumulated throughout the day. Most of the patients hadn't been seriously injured and had only come in for minor things, but the paperwork still had to be done regardless of how tired she felt.

Sitting at the small wooden desk, Laney rubbed her eyes to try to keep her tired body awake just a little while longer. It wouldn't be the first time she had fallen asleep on the job after overworking herself. Focusing back on the paper in front of her, she continued writing out the report of the last patient and what had been done to remedy their injury, which had been a broken finger. Glancing at her watch, she saw that she only had about thirty minutes remaining on her shift until she could call it a night.

It wasn't long before she had finished every patient report and was in the middle of filing them away in their proper places when she heard their scanner come to life from in the other room. The only time the thing was used was if there was a severe injury out in the field. From what she could hear, the situation didn't sound good.

All she heard was there was a lot of blood loss, it was of high priority, and that they were minutes from the Dauntless compound. Laney knew that all hands would be needed as soon as they arrived with the victim, whose name hadn't been said on the scanner. She was in charge of things as shift supervisor. There was no time to call a doctor down to the infirmary, and she was trained and qualified enough to be one when the situation called for it.

While two nurses on duty, Nora and Shea, rushed to prepare a bed and ready any needed supplies, Laney hurriedly washed her hands thoroughly. Trevor and Jenna, who had been about to get off as well, had already left the room to meet the incoming party outside the compound.

Minutes later, a stretcher was rushed into the infirmary by Trevor and Jenna. Running over to the stretcher, Laney noticed the man immediately as Dauntless leader, Eric Coulter. "What do we got?" Laney yelled out over the chaos.

Eric was groaning loudly and writhing in agony. There was a black shirt wrapped around his upper arm that was soaked with blood that had been used to stifle the bleeding until he made it back to the compound. It took all five of the nurses to lift his massive form from the gurney to the bed.

"Eric Coulter. Factionless attacked while he was out with a patrol team doing rounds. One of the Factionless shot him in his vest and knocked him off the truck when he was hanging onto the open door. The truck behind him ran over his arm before he could get out of the way completely. They couldn't see him because of how dark it was," Trevor replied.

Laney noticed the bullet stuck in the vest Eric still wore as she quickly assessed the situation. Eric was still groaning loudly in pain, squirming about trying to find any position that was better than the previous. "We need to sedate him to keep him still," Laney called out while removing Eric's vest and helmet and cutting through his jacket and t-shirt.

Laney watched as Jenna had prepared and administered the needle to Eric that would sedate him. It only took a minute or two for the medicine to start kicking in, allowing them to work more efficiently. Once Eric was out, Laney cut through the bloodied t-shirt wrapped around Eric's arm, so they could see exactly what the extent of his injuries were.

As Laney peeled the black fabric away from the still bleeding wound, she saw that the skin on Eric's arm had been torn open and his arm was definitely not the shape it should be. While she wasn't accustomed to this type of injury normally, the sight didn't seem bother her. As bad as the wound looked, she could tell that Eric would be fine, but would be in pain for a few weeks, even after administering a healing serum made by the Erudite.

Laney knew that Eric would have a rude awakening when he awoke and discovered the situation he was currently in. She knew that despite her shift having come to an end thirty minutes prior, she would have to break the news to the Dauntless leader as shift supervisor. What normally would be relief for most, she knew that Eric would most likely not take the news well. For the first time since Laney had begun working in the infirmary, she dreaded the waking of a patient.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations in later chapters, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

It was about an hour later and Laney still remained in the infirmary. Trevor, Nora, and Shea had left for the night, leaving her alone with Jenna to clean up. Laney knew that it would be a little while before sleep would even be a possibility, so she had remained and told the others to go home. As she scrubbed the metal table, Laney could still see Eric writhing in agony. Though the remnants of his blood had since been removed from the cool metal surface, she could still see it there as if it were still oozing from the chewed up skin on his arm.

Biting her lip, Laney could smell the disinfectant wafting up into her nose as she continued to scrub, as if she were trying to scrub the memory from her mind.

"LJ, I think the table is clean. You're going to scrub the metal off of it," Jenna commented with a small smile as she refilled some of the supplies.

Laney looked over at the redhead opposite her, finally coming out of her reverie. "Yeah, thanks."

"You ok, babe?" Jenna asked using her usual nickname for everyone in the infirmary, stopping for a minute and looking up at her associate in a look of concern.

Laney met Jenna's worried glance and nodded. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just been a long day is all." Laney tossed the rag in the laundry and washed her hands for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Has Coulter woken up yet?"

Jenna checked the monitors of each station across the room that sat up on the wall out of the way. Their lone patient still appeared to be under sedation. "Nope; he's still out. Why don't you go home and get some sleep? I know you've had a long day, and it could be morning before he wakes. You're not even supposed to still be here."

"I know, Jen. I'll head on up to my apartment. If he wakes up, give me a call no matter the time. When he does wake up, you're going to need all the help you can get. If I don't hear from you, I'll be back in the morning around nine."

"Ok, will do, babe," Jenna replied, getting back to her work of restocking supplies.

Laney went one last time to check on Eric herself and noticed he was still out. For now, Eric looked peaceful and content, but she knew that was due to the meds he had been given. It was only a matter of time before he awoke and took his fury out on the poor soul who happened to be in his wrath.

* * *

As Laney laid in her bed in the dark, she still had the young Dauntless leader on her mind, though she couldn't begin to figure out why. Laney didn't know Eric that well, even after five years of being in Dauntless together, though, when she thought about it, she didn't really know anyone that did know the leader well. All she knew about him was that he was twenty-one, he had become a leader at seventeen just after completing initiation, that he was feared by most Dauntless members because of his hard and cold demeanor, and he had had his fair share of women. There were a lot of rumors about him that no one really knew the truth to, but she knew everyone liked to speculate about the young leader.

It was obvious why most Dauntless women fawned over and threw themselves at Eric. Laney had never really seen the big deal. It's not that she didn't agree that Eric was indeed attractive; she just didn't see the point in being someone she wasn't and making it her life's mission to end up on Eric's list of conquests, only to be forgotten once he had moved onto the next girl. She would rather be single the rest of her life than become another notch in his belt.

Laney only really saw Eric in the dining hall when the two were eating, during initiation on the few occasions that he cared enough to check up on his injured initiates in the infirmary, and when the two happened to be the in training room together working out at the same time. Other than that, the two didn't really cross paths very much. The few times that they had spoken in recent years, Eric had tried giving her a few suggestive comments, only to have Laney not take the bait. Whatever he had first thought of her, her disinterest in him had made him change his mind of pursuing her.

Rolling her eyes at the memories, she stared at the ceiling. She should be sleeping right now, but sleep still evaded her even if she was exhausted. She continued to toss and turn for a little while longer until sleep or exhaustion, Laney wasn't sure which, finally took over.

* * *

The next day, Eric had been released from the infirmary and Laney had told him that his arm had nearly been crushed, the radius and ulna bones somehow remaining mostly intact, and had been stabilized by screws and two metal plates. He had suffered a few lacerations on his skin that had been stitched up and had a few fractured ribs. He also had several minor bruises and cuts.

Of course, Eric hadn't taken the news of his injuries well. Laney left him with instructions to rest as much as possible, to take his medication as needed, ice his ribs frequently to help with pain and reduce swelling, and take it easy in his apartment until it became easier for him to move around. She had prescribed him a bottle of pain pills that she hoped he took as directed and given him two ice packs before Max helped Eric get to his place.

Max had informed Eric that he was being placed on medical leave until he was healed enough to resume his leader duties, much to his discontent on the idea. When Laney had heard shortly after about Eric's work status, she had immediately felt bad for the guy. Dauntless was Eric's life; she knew he would be lost without being able to do any work, keep up his training, and even being stuck in his apartment alone all day long for around two-to-three weeks.

While Laney had fully intended on doing her job by checking up on him every now and then to make sure his stitches were healing properly, she knew that Eric was going to need help with things. Any movement with cracked ribs was going to be painful enough, and she could see him only worsening his condition and lengthening his healing time being the stubborn brute that he was.

Laney didn't know why, but she found herself wanting to be there for the young leader. She knew she was basically walking into the lion's den, but there was something nagging at her making her want to be there for him. While she was a nurse and loved helping and healing people, somehow she felt this was something else. She had gone to Max to get Eric's apartment code, which had been easy enough. Max knew very well Eric wouldn't willingly give it to her.

The day after Eric had been released and returned home, she found herself in front of Eric's apartment door just after leaving the dining hall for dinner, holding a Styrofoam to-go plate in one hand. Laney took a deep breath before entering the memorized numbers into the keypad on Eric's door. She knew that Eric would be less than pleased with her presence, but she knew that with him injured, she easily had the upper hand over him.

Walking inside, she shut the door behind her, instantly being hit by the scents that Eric always carried. Laney heard a low noise that she recognized as the TV and nothing else. Entering the living room, she looked around to find everything spotless except for the coffee table which held the remote, an open bottle of what looked to be whiskey, and a glass beside it.

Laney saw that the apartment was much like her own, but much bigger. The slate gray walls were identical to hers as well as the placement of the kitchen. Even the furniture was the same as the set in her own apartment: a black coffee table, a black leather sofa and a matching love seat.

Laney noticed a tall bookshelf that took up a good portion of the wall opposite the sofa that was full to the brim with books. She knew Eric was a former Erudite, so she wasn't really surprised. On the outside wall of the apartment was a big window with the view of the city letting in natural light. The main difference in her apartment and his, Laney decided, was that there were no signs of personality in the apartment, unlike her own, with the room void of any sort of decor or personal items.

She looked around further to find no sign of Eric, figuring he was in his bedroom down the hallway. Laney found herself wanting to go search further for him, but decided she would wait for him to emerge when she heard a loud thump followed by a curse. Setting down the plate in her hand on the coffee table, she decided against her better judgment to go and inspect the noise.

Walking down the hall at quick pace, Laney headed toward the noise in the room at the end of the hall. On her way, she saw three doors—one that she knew belonged to a bathroom and the other she assumed was a spare bedroom that her apartment lacked. Opening the cracked door, she walked in to find a half-naked Eric attempting to change his clothes. It didn't take her long to see that he was shirtless and trying to put on a pair of pants that didn't seem to be cooperating with him. She was thankful that he at least had on underwear and tried to avert her eyes to keep from staring at his muscular physique.

"Shit, I'm sorry," Laney said after realizing what she was seeing, turning her gaze to the toward the door.

"Fuck," Eric replied with a jump and grabbed his side at the sudden movement, dropping the pants in his hands.

Laney noticed that she had surprised him and caused him to hurt himself, rushing to his aid and forgetting his state of undress. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"Yeah, well, you did," Eric replied with gritted teeth, giving her a glare and watching her rush over to him, her nursing mind taking over.

Laney began to gently massage his torso where his hands were to try to ease his pain at least a little bit. Eric swallowed at her touch, but found her ministrations were actually helping, his gray-blue eyes watching her. It looked to her as if he had just finished showering, though she knew that had probably been a painful and tedious venture, his longer hair damp and curling on top.

After a few minutes, she heard a low groan and realized just how close to him she was. Laney swallowed, her eyes taking in his chiseled chest before her and wandering down the length of his body and back up, his tattoos standing out against his fair skin, not missing the slight bulge in his boxer briefs. It was then that she backed up a little bit.

"Um, is that better?" Laney asked, stuttering a bit.

"Yeah, thanks," Eric replied before realizing what he had said. "What are you doing here, and don't you know how to knock?"

Laney noticed the change in his tone and swallowed for a different reason before remembering that he wouldn't be able to do anything to her without hurting himself. "I'm here to check up on you, and I brought you some food. I didn't know if you would have any here since I always see you eating in the dining hall with the other leaders."

"I don't need your help," Eric said coldly as he discarded his pants by stepping out of them at his feet and went slowly over to his dresser to look for something else to put on. He grabbed a pair of gym shorts and looked at them, knowing bending to put them on was going to hurt like a bitch.

"Do you need help?" Laney asked, watching him from the same spot she had stood before.

"No, I'm perfectly capable of putting on my own damn shorts," Eric replied bitingly.

Laney proceeded to roll her eyes. "You don't have to be so hostile, you know. I was just offering."

"Oh, you want to touch me again, is that it?" Eric asked, giving her a leer before sitting down onto the bed carefully, trying to put his feet into the legs of his shorts while holding them with one hand.

"Trust me, that is the last thing I want to do," Laney retorted, crossing her arms.

"That's not what I saw a few minutes ago. You looked like you were enjoying the feel of me."

"Ugh, you are such a pig." Laney stubbornly strode over to the edge of the bed in front of the man. She grabbed his good arm, pulling him up slowly into a standing position, knowing it was going to hurt him some. "Stay still," Laney ordered, only to receive a curse and a glare from Eric.

Laney leaned down in front of Eric, purposefully not looking at his crotch that was now level with her face, and pulled his shorts up his thick and toned legs. "There, would you like a shirt also?"

"No, it'll be just as much of a pain in the ass to get back off as it will be to put on."

"Ok, fine. Your food is in the living room. You can eat while I check your stitches, and then I suggest you take your pain medicine."

Laney walked behind Eric as he made his way out into the living room, not missing the way his muscles rippled at his every movement or the cursive script "freedom from fear" tattooed on his back. Forcing the thought from her mind, she helped him sit on his sofa as slowly as she could. She went into his kitchen and grabbed a fork for him. "What do you want to drink? I didn't know what you like, so I figured I'd wait until I got here."

"Beer," Eric replied in a clipped tone.

"Figures," Laney mumbled to himself. "You don't need to be mixing alcohol with your pain meds. You would think your Erudite smarts would have known that." She opened his fridge to see what he had, finding nothing but beer and milk. "How about milk or water?"

"I'm aware that I shouldn't, but that doesn't mean that I care," Eric replied in a flippant tone. "Fine, whatever."

Laney rolled her eyes and dug through his cabinets until she found a cup to pour some water in. Bringing the glass and fork over for him, grabbing a few napkins on her way, she set them down onto the table in front of him. Laney sat beside him on the sofa as he continued to ignore her presence by glaring at the TV. She picked up his to-go plate along with the fork and napkins.

"I brought a cheeseburger and fries with a piece of cake. If you let me know your preferences, I can plan accordingly next time." Laney set his plate on his lap, setting the fork on top of it and the napkins beside him on the sofa.

"Why are you even here?" Eric asked, opening his dinner plate and popped a fry into his mouth. "I don't need a fucking babysitter."

"I need to check your stitches to make sure they're healing properly. It won't take me long." Laney checked each of Eric's stitches carefully and saw they seemed to be healing well so far.

"Ok, you've checked my stitches, now you can go," Eric said, sending an intimidating glare her way.

Laney stood up from the sofa, picking up his water and moving the cup to the table beside where he sat to reach easier. "Ok, I'll leave you to your meal. Do you need anything before I leave?"

"Nope," he replied rudely, popping the 'p.'

"Ok, well, if you need anything, here's my card. You can call me anytime; my phone is always on me. I'll do my best to come by as soon as I can." Laney handed him the card she had pulled from her pocket.

Eric took the card quickly, scanning it and tossing it on the sofa beside him, and continued to eat his food.

"Do you eat breakfast?" Laney asked, stopping on her way to the door to turn around and face him.

"Yes; I'm not picky," Eric replied, glancing in her direction briefly before taking a bite of his burger. He figured if she was going to offer to bring his food, he might as well take advantage of it.

"Ok, I'll bring you some in the morning before I head to work. See you then, and try not to overdo it, Eric."

"Yes, mother," Eric replied with his tone full of sarcasm. He watched her roll her eyes once again as she walked to the door and shut it behind her.

He sighed, rubbing his face with his good hand before he finished his meal. This was going to be such a long few weeks.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations in later chapters, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

It was nearing midnight, and Laney was just about to head out of the infirmary after a surprisingly slow day. She waved goodbye to Shea, who had the night shift that night, before walking out. Her mind had been stuck on their fearless leader for most of the day, which had become a usual occurrence in the last four days. Eric had gotten used to her coming by, but he still treated her like she was an initiate who he wanted to beat the shit out of and make Factionless or throw into the chasm. He refused to even call her by her first name, referring to her as Jameson instead.

He continued to drive her up the wall, but for some unknown reason, she kept going back to his apartment to make sure he was doing ok beyond what her job entitled. Several of her friends and co-workers had told her she was nuts for even attempting to help Eric out in the first place, and she was beginning to believe them, but for some reason she couldn't tell herself to stop caring.

On her way out of the infirmary wing, she ran into Four, who must have been on a break from a long shift in the control room.

"You need to be careful, Laney," Four warned as soon as he saw her, stopping her in her tracks in the hallway. The two had become close over the years while in Dauntless, and she knew Four well enough to know by him not calling her by her nickname that he meant business.

"I'm fine, Four. It's not exactly like he can pummel me into the ground right now unless he wants to hurt severely afterward," Laney replied, defending herself.

Four sighed, calming a little. "You know that's not what I mean. Eric is manipulative and calculating; he's a former Erudite. You know how he can be."

"Four, I know you're trying to protect me, but I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Laney crossed her arms, looking away from Four's concerned brown eyes. She wasn't completely helpless, and she hated when people treated her like she was.

"Just promise me that you'll be careful, LJ," Four said, his stance relaxing some. "You know I don't trust him in the least little bit, even when he's injured."

"Ok, Four, I promise. You don't have to tell me what Eric's capable of," Laney replied with a smile, pulling Four to her in a hug, who then returned it.

Laney and Four exchanged goodbyes, and she watched as he made his way back to the control room. It wouldn't surprise her if he saw her coming that way and took a break just to warn her once again about Eric's ruthless demeanor. Four was like Laney's brother that she had never had, but then again, most of her friends had become her family in the last five years since she hadn't seen her actual one since she defected to Dauntless.

Checking her watch, Laney knew it was time for Eric to take his pain meds. She also could easily tell he hadn't been sleeping very well the past few nights, which she knew was quite common for someone who had fractured his or her ribs. Laney hated to have to wake him up if he was asleep, but he would thank her for it later.

Making her way inside the leader's apartment as quietly as possible, Laney noticed that the lights were off. She headed back toward Eric's room to find that light off as well, hearing light snoring sounds emanating from inside. Taking a deep breath, she slowly and quietly opened the door to find Eric laying on his back fast asleep. There was enough light seeping from the moon in the tiny crack of the closed curtains on the window, giving her just enough light to see inside the room. She noticed Eric's pain medication on the bedside table and an empty glass, and went to retrieve some water from his bathroom.

Laney made her way over to Eric's bed and set the water down on the bedside table. She sat as gently as possible on the bed beside his sleeping figure and swallowed.

"Eric?" Laney whispered, leaning closer to his ear while shaking his uninjured shoulder gently. "Eric, wake up."

Before Laney knew what had happened, she felt something cold and metal against her temple. Seconds later, she heard the telltale click of what she knew was a gun. A loud gasp had sounded from what she could only guess was from her own mouth, swallowing as she opened her eyes. Frozen in place hovering over Eric, she found herself afraid to move. Finally, her brown eyes met gray ones, their gazes lingering on the other's.

"E-Eric, it's me..." Laney finally found herself saying after a few moments. She could tell her voice was trembling, though she tried her best to stop it. "It's Laney."

Realization finally settled into his eyes as he still held the gun to her forehead. "Laney?" Eric asked, blinking a few times. "God, you could have been fucking killed."

Laney could only respond by nodding her head in understanding, her breath becoming ragged.

"Shit," Eric replied, lowering the gun from her head nearly as quickly as he had drawn it and setting it aside.

Laney still found she couldn't move her body yet or stop it from shaking, still half hovering over Eric. "Laney? Laney, are you with me?" Eric asked, noticing the vacant look in her eyes. Eric reached his uninjured hand up to her face, gently running his fingers over her cheek, trying to reel her back in. "It's ok, I don't have the gun in my hand anymore."

Laney looked at him and blinked several times, realizing the gun was no longer pressing into her skin. She moved quickly away from him, standing up off the bed to allow him to move. Having a gun pressed to her forehead and being shot to her death was a fear that still haunted her to that day.

"Why the hell do you have a gun under your pillow?" Laney asked, trying to calm herself down.

"Look, I'm sorry. I thought you were an intruder or something. I hate when people sneak up on me, and I'm vulnerable when I'm asleep. It's my basic instinct to react," Eric explained, sitting up slowly.

"God, I thought...nevermind." Laney said, stopping herself before revealing too much of herself to him.

"You thought what?" Eric asked curiously. "That I was going to kill you?"

"Um, yeah. You had a fucking gun pointed to my head."

"Well, you shouldn't have woken me up like that," Eric argued, a scowl on his face. "What do you want, anyway? It's after midnight. Do you not sleep like normal people?"

"I just got off from my shift, and I came by to make sure you take your pain meds. Forgive me for doing my job and trying to make your life easier," Laney retorted just as bitingly.

Eric growled out loud in frustration before getting up slowly from his bed and heading into the bathroom.

Laney watched him, her glare mirroring his own, before he was out of her sight. She tried to tune out as the sound of him peeing filled the otherwise quiet room, sitting down on his bed to wait for him to return. She sighed, running her hands through her hair, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"I'm awake now; you can go. I'll take my meds before I go back to sleep," Eric yelled from in the bathroom as he flushed the toilet and came back into the room.

Laney remained sitting on his bed, her gaze on his dresser in front of her.

"Did you hear me, Jameson? Get out," Eric said as he neared her. "Why are you even still coming by? I've told you countless times, I don't need a fucking babysitter."

Laney stood up. "You know, you have every right to be pissed. I get it. You've gone from being top dog in Dauntless and having everyone worship you to not being able to even put your own pants on. You might as well get used to me being here. It's not like you have any friends to help you, and I don't see any of the whores that flock around you anywhere in sight. I don't have to help you, but I am, so deal with it. I've tried being nice, but you've left me no choice but to be just as big of a pain in the ass as you are."

"Why are you helping me then?" Eric asks, his expression blank. "Are you former Abnegation or something?"

"I don't know," Laney answered, trying to calm herself down. "I wish I knew. No, I'm not a former Abnegation."

Eric watched the brunette in front of him, trying to guess her next move.

Laney grabbed Eric's medicine bottle and stuck it in his hand. "I'll be back in the morning to bring you breakfast. Try to get some more sleep."

He watched as she strode out of his room and heard the door slam shut as she left his apartment. Maybe his initial assumptions of her had been wrong. Maybe Laney didn't want anything from him and was really just trying to be there for him. She was right in the fact that he didn't have anyone else lining up to help him out the least little bit. Four had stopped by a few times to bring his meals, he was sure at Laney's request, and they hated each other.

He sighed, looking at the pill bottle in his hand, taking two out and swallowing them. He downed some water and set the glass back down by the bed as well as the pill bottle. He sat on the bed, laying back down gently, realizing that Laney just may prove to be just as stubborn, if not more, than he was. A small smirk formed on his lips as he thought of the fiery brown-eyed nurse. He had to admit that the girl had grown on him a bit, and she was quite easy on the eyes.

"Laney, challenge accepted," Eric said to no one in particular before drifting off to sleep a few minutes later.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thank you guys so much for all of the love you've shown this story already! I can't tell you how much each of your reviews, faves, and follows mean to me. Because you guys have been so great, I decided to post another chapter for you. I was going to post it tomorrow, but decided to go ahead and post it tonight. ;) Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent or any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations in later chapters, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

The dining hall was crowded with Dauntless at lunch as Laney sat there alone eating. On her plate sat some Lasagna with a piece of garlic bread. Today was her day off from work, and she hadn't really planned anything for the day. She had seen Four earlier when she arrived around 11:30 a.m., but decided to dodge him to avoid his persistent warnings of Eric. Taking a glance at the clock that hung on the wall, she knew it was nearing time for her to check in on her patient.

She hadn't seen him since the day before after lunch, and the two hadn't really spoken but a handful of words to each other since their confrontation three days earlier. Laney had gone by to take him food and check his stitches, but had done nothing else for the young leader, despite the continued nagging urge to take care of him. Though he was healing and was able to move around a little easier, Eric had to be the worst patient she had ever had. Part of her wanted to let the insufferable man rot in his apartment alone, but Laney knew that she would never be able to let that happen.

Finishing her meal, Laney picked up her tray, tossing her leftover food and trash away, and left the tray, plates, and utensils in their designated area. Picking up Eric's requested plate on her way out, she made her way up to the leader's apartment that sat a floor above her own. She had known the route to the leader's apartments before, having explored the area a few times, but now she knew the way like the back of her hand.

Entering the code to the apartment and making her way inside, she noticed the curtains were open, letting the sun shine in. Setting the food down on the coffee table, she noticed no sign of Eric, who was usually perched on the sofa when she came by. She began heading to his room cautiously, memories popping up instantly of the two other times she had found him in his room.

After debating internally for a minute or two, Laney ultimately decided to knock on the bedroom door. While Eric didn't deserve her courtesy, she would still attempt to be the bigger person. When she didn't hear anything after a few moments, she decided to go on in slowly.

Once Laney had gotten up the nerve, she went on into the bedroom to find it empty as well. She immediately heard a familiar sound inside the bathroom.

"Eric?" Laney called out tentatively, stopping at the bathroom door.

She heard the toilet flush and the door swung fully open to reveal Eric standing inside the bathroom in a t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts. "What?"

"I brought your lunch," Laney offered, watching him.

"Oh ok, thanks," Eric replied a bit mockingly before turning on the shower.

Laney rolled her eyes. The man was incapable of showing any type of real gratitude. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm about to take a shower."

"Ok, let me check your stitches real quick. They seem to be healing quite nicely, but I'm pretty sure you don't want an infection."

Eric just shook his head in response, having become sort of used to the routine.

Laney made her way inside the en suite, taking in the rather spacious room for the first time. "Wow, your bathroom is so much bigger than mine."

"I am a leader; it should be," Eric replied with an arrogant tone. Eric began to slowly remove his t-shirt, having a bit of trouble with only the use of one arm.

"Let me help you with that," Laney offered, moving in front of him. Before Eric could protest, Laney bunched the sleeve of his t-shirt on his injured arm and slipped it off slowly. With a few grunts and grimaces from Eric as she removed the material, Laney had the shirt off of him in no time. "There."

"That actually didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would," Eric commented, more to himself than Laney.

"The healing serum we gave you has probably already started to speed the process up a bit. It works differently on different people, so maybe you'll be one of the ones that it works relatively quickly on. The chances of that for you are high because of your good health." Laney set Eric's discarded shirt down onto the vanity beside them.

"Not soon enough for me," Eric muttered underneath his breath, watching Laney begin to look over his stitches.

"These are all looking really good. You should probably be able to have them removed in a day or two. I'll check them again tomorrow," Laney said, her eyes meeting Eric's briefly before he began to move toward the shower to check the water temperature. "We'll also need to up your arm movements in therapy."

"Oh, goodie, I can't wait," Eric commented sarcastically.

"Do you need anything else?" Laney asked, watching him go to the linen closet to grab a towel.

"No, I think I'm good," Eric replied, no longer paying attention to her.

"Are you sure you don't need any help with your shower?" Laney asked before she realized what it was she was asking.

Eric draped the towel over the bar next to the shower on the wall and turned to look at her. She didn't miss the smirk plastered on his lips. "If you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask."

"Eric, I mean it. It probably isn't wise for you to shower with no one around. If you dropped something, you couldn't pick it up; at least not comfortably. If you slipped and fell, how the hell would you get to the phone?"

"Well, if you're that intent on helping me, I won't stop you," Eric replied with his smirk still on his lips, noticing the surprise on Laney's face. "It won't be the first time I've had a beautiful woman in my shower."

Laney rolled her eyes, making a disgusted face. "I'm sure it's not. Hopefully, you cleaned it before your accident."

"Yes, I did, but it's been cleaned a few times since then as well. Max hired a maid to come by every few days since I'm unable to clean. I can't stand my place being messy."

"Well, somehow I actually believe that. Ok, what do you need me to do?"

"You could start by helping me finish undressing. The shorts I can get off no problem, but the boxer briefs..." Eric replied with a serious look on his face.

Laney started to make a snide comment, but thought better about it once she saw that Eric appeared to respond honestly. "Ok, no problem. I do this from time to time with overnight patients. Not often since there aren't usually many, but it's part of the job."

Eric watched as Laney returned to the spot in front of him. "Are you sure you're not a former Abnegation or Amity?"

Laney's brown eyes met his stormy blue ones. "Again, no on both accounts."

"What faction are you from?" Eric asked, knowing he probably wouldn't get an answer since she had yet to answer the question after he had asked a few times already.

"I'll let you figure you it out."

Reaching for his shorts, Laney swallowed a bit as she felt her fingers brush against his bare skin, noticing the deep "V" cut at his hips. Pushing the thought aside instantly, she continued her task. Sliding Eric's shorts down his legs, as he had said, were easy. It was then that she noticed the thick trail of sandy hair leading down to the bulge in his boxer briefs, catching herself staring briefly at the sight and hoping Eric hadn't noticed.

"Have you never seen a naked guy before?" Eric asked, easily noticing her hesitation.

Laney looked at him, hoping her cheeks weren't turning red. "Of course, I have. It's just been a while."

Eric continued to watch as Laney began to pull his boxer briefs down his thick thighs. "Well, that answered one of my other questions. How long has it been?" Eric asked curiously.

Laney pulled Eric's boxer briefs down his legs, trying as hard as she could not look at Eric below his waist. Grabbing the two discarded items of clothing from the floor, she stood up. "I don't have to answer that."

"Oh, come on, we're both adults here. It's been almost three weeks since I've had sex. See, it's not that hard to say out loud," Eric continued, stepping into the shower. "You are Dauntless, remember?"

Laney looked at him, crossing her arms. "Wow, is that some kind of record for you?"

"No, it's actually not," Eric answered with a smug look on his face, grabbing his body wash. "You said you were going to help me with my shower. Standing there ogling isn't helping me, although I don't really blame you. Not every girl gets this privilege."

"Ugh, you are so full of yourself, you know that? And I am not ogling you," Laney retorted as she began to remove her clothes. "I am not getting naked for you, so don't even think about it."

"As I said, we're both adults here, but they're your clothes." Eric shrugged as he stood underneath the water.

When Laney had removed all of her clothes except her black tank top, bra, and underwear, she set her discarded clothes on the vanity beside his. She made her way over to the shower and stepped inside, immediately feeling Eric's blue-gray eyes trailing over her body.

"You can look at me all you want to, but just keep in mind that if you touch me, I'll break your other arm," Laney threatened, her brown eyes staring into his to drive the point across as he handed her his body wash.

"Yes ma'am," Eric replied with a mocking tone in his voice.

Laney ignored his comments with a roll of her eyes and poured some body wash into her hand, making her way behind Eric. She began lathering his back and shoulders, forcing her eyes to stay off of his sculpted body for any length of time.

"You know, you never answered my question," Eric said after a few moments of silence.

"If you really must know, it's been almost a year," Laney answered frustratingly, sensing that he wasn't going to drop the subject otherwise.

"Wow," Eric responded in complete shock. "Why has it been so long?"

Laney focused her attention on Eric's back as her hands made their way down his body to his butt and thighs, trying to remain professional. "I have my reasons. The main one being that most all guys want from me is to get into my pants. Call me old-fashioned, or even a Stiff if you want, but I want to mean more to a guy than just a good fuck."

"Ah, you're one of those relationship people," Eric replied, finding out really quickly that he liked her hands on him.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that."

"Have you ever had a one night stand?" Eric asked, turning his neck a bit to look at her, noticing her lathering the back of his legs and feet.

"I did once; it's just not my thing," Laney replied matter-of-factly continuing her task.

"Ok, well answer me this. Have you showered with a guy before now?"

"What is with all the questions about my love life?" Laney asked, doing her best to hide her flustered state.

"Just answer the question," Eric ordered, becoming annoyed at her attitude.

"Yes, I have. Anything else you'd like to know? Like how many guys I've fucked, what all I've done or haven't done, and that I have a couple of piercings down there?" Laney asked bitingly, standing back up away from him.

Eric turned to face her once he realized she had stopped lathering to allow the water to rinse his back. "Actually, yes, I would." He paused a moment. "Wait, really?"

"You are insufferable," Laney complained, meeting Eric's cold glare.

"Look, I'm trying to make an effort here, and you keep acting as if you're better than I am. If you don't want to be here, then by all means, go ahead and leave. I can manage just fine on my own. I may be nosy about things, but that's just how I am. I know nothing about you, and you've been by every day since I got hurt. Sue me for being curious," Eric retorted, his features and voice softening just a bit.

Laney sighed, realizing he was right. Her eyes met his and she noticed something different in his eyes. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. Now, will you answer my questions?" Eric asked, watching her.

"The first answer is four and the second is I've done more than I haven't," Laney admitted, meeting his gaze. She then poured more body wash into her hand and began lathering Eric's chest. "Some of the main things I haven't done is participated in an orgy, done anything with a girl other than kiss her, or done more than one guy at a time. And the third, yes, they were a dare."

"Hmm, interesting. I had you pegged as a virgin and missionary position only kinda girl," Eric admitted, their eyes meeting once again.

"Nope, though I do kind of like that position, especially if the guy I'm with is a bit dominant." Laney could feel Eric tense at her revelation, a small smirk of her own appearing on her lips.

"You're into that kind of stuff, huh?"

"Not entirely, but I do like experimenting to keep things fresh."

"Hmm, well, if you ever want to experiment with me, let me know," Eric said huskily with a wink.

Laney froze at his response, stopping her movements momentarily before continuing to lather his arms and stomach. "So, what's your record?"

"Nine months," Eric replied, watching her.

"Seriously?" Laney asked a bit surprised.

"Yeah, I lost my virginity before I transferred and didn't have sex again until well after I became a leader here at Dauntless. I had more important things going on at the time."

"You're kidding me," Laney said, looking up at him and stopping her movements.

"No, I'm not," Eric replied honestly.

"So, how many girls have you been with?" Laney asked, her own curiosity creeping up to the surface.

"Probably not as many as you or everyone else thinks," Eric replied, looking away from her.

"Really?" Laney asked, looking at him.

"Yep. I do have standards, despite what people may think. I don't typically do relationships, but I don't fuck every girl that throws herself at me, either."

"So, ballpark figure?"

"Probably around fifteen, maybe give or take a few. Some of those I've done more than once."

"Wow, that's definitely not what I expected."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Most people tend to forget that while I do like a good fuck, I also have a faction to help run. Most nights I come home alone and sleep because I'm so exhausted from work, especially during initiation."

Laney couldn't help but snort at the thought.

"What?" Eric asked, his pierced eyebrow raised.

"Well, that's not at all what I expected, but I pretty much do the same thing. I sometimes overwork myself, and because I don't have much of a life outside of work, I don't mind taking shifts for others here and there for people that I know have families or something."

"That doesn't surprise me one bit. You need some more excitement in your life," Eric advised with a hint of a smile.

Laney returned the smile, looking at Eric's maze-like tattoos that covered his forearms. "So, I've been told many times."

Eric watched her study his tattoos, her fingers tracing over some of the lines. He swallowed at her touch.

"I like these," Laney said, getting some more body wash from the bottle. "They fit you rather well." She began lathering his neck, feeling the facial hair that hadn't been shaved in a few days tickling her fingers. "And these."

"Uh, thanks," Eric replied with a swallow.

"I know they stand for leadership, but what did you have to do to get them?" Laney asked curiously.

"Actually, nothing." Eric met her gaze.

"I bet they hurt like a bitch." Laney kneeled down in front of him and made her way down the front of Eric's thighs and legs, her concentration on ignoring what was in front of her as she did so.

"Yeah, they did. Maybe you'll show me the rest of your tattoos one day," Eric said, watching her movements.

He had already seen the few she had on her feet and arms: one black star outline on each wrist, a sleeve of intricate, black lace in different shapes going around and down nearly her entire right arm, and a fleur di lis on her left shoulder. She also had a small anchor tattoo with the words "I refuse to sink" written above it in a script handwriting on her right ankle, with the Dauntless symbol on her left.

"Maybe one day you will," Laney replied with an impish look in her eyes, finishing up and standing. "Can you get your hair? You're taller than I am, so I'm sure it would probably just be more comfortable for you to do it."

"Oh yeah, I can get it." Eric turned around toward the water to rinse off the remaining body wash on his body and began to wash his hair after grabbing his shampoo.

"I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair like this and I didn't know it was curly, either. You always have every single strand in place."

"You probably haven't; I'm a bit anal about it."

"Maybe it's just me, but your hair has gotten kinda long," Laney pointed out.

"Yeah, I need to get it cut. I haven't had time lately, and then all this happened."

"I can cut it if you want. I cut mine all the time and have cut a couple of guys' hair before. I can even do it like you normally have it if you like," Laney offered.

"That'd be great. It's getting to be a bit of a hassle," Eric admitted.

"Ok, I'll do it tomorrow possibly," Laney said, stepping out of the shower and drying her feet on the bath mat.

Laney made her way over to his linen closet and grabbed her a towel, drying off the rest of the way. As she put the rest of her clothes back on, she noticed Eric washing his butt and semi-hardened dick. Licking her lips while getting caught up in watching his movements and staring, she barely noticed as Eric turned the water off before forcing herself to look away.

Clearing her throat, Laney pulled the ponytail holder from her brown locks, placing on her wrist. "You know your food is probably nearly cold by now."

"Yeah, I'll go eat it once I get dressed. Mind helping me?" Eric asked while drying himself off, knowing full-well she was purposefully trying to cover up that she had been staring at his naked form.

"Sure," Laney agreed with a smile, helping him dry what he couldn't reach.

Once Eric had dried off and Laney had helped him get dressed, the two ended up in his living room. Laney had reheated Eric's food for him, and he was sitting on the sofa finishing it with Laney sitting there beside him after he had asked her to stay a little while. Laney figured the guy was probably getting cabin fever from being cooped up alone in his apartment day after day, so she agreed to stay a little while longer since she had no other plans.

"So, you say you've been with four guys. Do I know any of them?" Eric asked, taking a bite of his Lasagna.

"We're back to that topic again?" Laney asked, running her fingers through her hair.

"Yes, and again, it shouldn't be a big deal," Eric replied, chewing and taking a drink of his water. "I think it's only fair you tell me since you saw me naked and deprived me of seeing you."

Laney gave him an unamused look, but finally agreed to answer him. "Ok, fine. The first guy you know; I don't know about the other three, though."

"Do they have names?" Eric asked arching his pierced brow, knowing she was trying to dodge the question.

"One was Dean," Laney asked, fiddling with her tank top.

"Dean, as in fence guard Dean? Seriously?" Eric asked, surprise evident in his voice, his chewing momentarily ceasing to look at her. He could easily tell bringing up his name wasn't one of her favorite things to do.

"Yep. That was my longest relationship to date," Laney admitted, still not meeting Eric's gaze. "We were together for almost two years."

"What happened?" Eric began chewing once again after the surprise had worn off.

"He cheated on me—multiple times, I'm sure. There was only one time that I needed to catch him in the act before I dumped his ass," Laney replied, pulling her legs up under her on the sofa. "I should have seen it before I did."

"Yeah, I could have told you he was a player. He's worse than I am." Eric paused with a knowing smirk and a wink. "Who else?"

"Kyle, who works in the tattoo shop, was the second longest relationship I've had. We were together about six months or so. He didn't cheat on me, but our relationship just wasn't going anywhere and we grew apart, I guess." Laney shrugged.

"Yep, I know him, too. Ok, two down. Who are the other two?"

"Well, my last relationship lasted a few months, his name was Angus, but we never did anything but kiss. He was more into himself than he was me." Laney paused as if she were lost in thought.

"I've heard of him and seen him around, but don't know him personally. Ok, who was the one night stand guy?" Eric asked, taking a bite of his garlic bread.

"I think his name was Ryker; I was fairly wasted that night, so I'm not even sure if that's right," Laney answered, continuing down her list.

"Yeah, he's one of the Factionless guards. Who's the last one that you don't want to tell me about?" Eric asked, giving her a slightly intimidating look.

"Um," Laney paused a minute. "Four," Laney whispered lowly, hoping he wouldn't hear her.

"Excuse me, what was that? It sounded like you said Four, but I know that couldn't be it," Eric said with a scowl forming on his face.

"Uh yeah, it was Four. It was just after initiation was over. It wasn't anything serious; God knows the man doesn't socialize enough to be in a relationship."

"Wait a minute, just after your initiation or his?" Eric asked.

"I was in your and Four's initiation class; you just don't remember me," Laney revealed. "He and I were both virgins at the time, and I didn't want to be anymore, so I talked him into having sex with me. He was the only guy I trusted at the time."

"What?" Eric asked, raising his voice. "You mean to tell me that you were in our initiation class, and you're just now pointing that out? And you let the stiff take your virginity for the hell of it?"

Laney cringed as she heard the table rattle under the pressure. "Eric, I.." Laney started but stopped, swallowing as he got up, nearly throwing his plate down on the table, and began pacing the room.

"I remember you now. You finished fourth, and you used to always wear your hair in pigtails or braids. I would tease you about it. We got our first tattoos together." Eric stopped and looked at her. "You were from Erudite, and though we had seen each other around, we hadn't spoken until we transferred. LJ?"

"Yes, I knew that you had forgotten about me on your way to the top," Laney said calmly, looking at her lap.

"I liked you, LJ. You became my friend, and then all of sudden you wouldn't even speak to me. You were always hanging around that Stiff," Eric said accusingly.

"Yes, but you beat me to a pulp just to stay in first the day before Four beat you and sent me to the infirmary. You didn't even give a shit and started acting like you do now."

"Laney, we were competing against each other," Eric began.

Laney stood up off the sofa. "Yeah, I know we were, but you nearly cracked my skull from punching me so hard after I was already down. You broke my nose and my wrist and had my blood all over you. Not once did you even come ask me how I was doing or even attempted to show that you cared."

"Of course, I cared that I hurt you, but I couldn't show any weakness or sympathy. Max was watching me constantly, and I had to finish in first if I wanted to become a leader," Eric explained.

"Yeah, because that was the most important thing," Laney replied sarcastically, making her way towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Eric asked, beginning to follow her.

"Anywhere away from you," Laney asked, not turning around or stopping. She opened the door and walked out, shutting the door behind her.

Eric sighed, stopping as he watched the door slam shut. He ran his fingers through his hair, the past between them filling his thoughts. He hadn't forgotten his friend, he just hadn't realized that she had grown up to be a strong, beautiful woman that wasn't afraid of him. Of course, he had known her and had seen her around during and after initiation, but she had grown and changed so fast that he hadn't realized she was his former friend.

Eric knew she was right; all he had focused on after initiation was becoming the perfect leader and making sure people respected him, regardless of what it did to his social life. It wasn't like he made much of an effort to try keep up with her, either.

Shaking his head, Eric went back to the sofa to finish his food, knowing he couldn't change the past. He wouldn't give up on her, even if she hated him, because he had seen how easy it was being around her and how she made him care about someone else other than himself in just a short time. He knew she would come back the next day and would begin to make it up to her.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, we found out some of Laney's background in this chapter and things got a little steamy and a lot more complicated between the two. Stay tuned, we're only getting started.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Thank you guys so much for all your wonderful feedback on this story! I really appreciate every bit of it. Here's another chapter! I know a lot of you wanted me to update, so here it is. I was going to update yesterday, but didn't have the time, and I wanted to read over the chapter once more before posting.

There are some hints of lemons in this chapter, so you're warned. It's enough to not be safe for work. One of these lemony scenes contains a possible trigger for near rape, but it doesn't get that far.

I hope you guys enjoy!

Just an FYI, Eric's texts are in only _italics_ while Laney's are in _ **bold**_ and _ **italics**_.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Laney pulled her hair back into a ponytail, finishing the necessary information on patient charts that were stacked on the desk just after lunch since the infirmary hadn't seen many patients in the last few days. Putting loose strands behind her ears, she picked up the pen she had set down momentarily, trying to keep her mind busy and off a certain leader. It had been two days since she had even gone by Eric's apartment to check up on him, and Laney felt extremely bad for it, though she tried her best to talk herself out of the foreign feeling.

She knew that she could only put him off for so long before the guilt would start to eat her alive. Laney had sent Jenna to remove Eric's stitches and check on him in her place. Four had insisted that she shouldn't feel obligated to take care of their leader and that he knew Eric would do something to upset her, but Laney couldn't agree with her friend on the former. She was still perturbed at Eric after their argument, but she had realized the night before while trying to sleep that the bad blood between them had happened five years ago. She was a big girl and had gotten over it long ago.

Just as Laney had finished the patient charts and was about to start putting them in their appropriate folders in the filing cabinet, she heard a buzz from her phone. Pulling it out and looking at the screen, she noticed it was a text from Eric.

 _Are you just going to stop coming by?_

That hadn't been the first time he had texted her, but she made herself ignore them. Rubbing her eyes and sighing, Laney began putting away the stack of charts on the desk. Glancing at her watch, she knew she still had about four hours left of her shift before she would be able to leave. Making herself ignore the text until later, she kept herself busy.

It was two hours later, and there still hadn't been any new patients for the day. Checking her watch once again, Laney decided she would take off early and swing by Eric's on the way. After letting Nora, who was also working, know that she was gone for the day, she made her way out of the infirmary wing.

She decided to stop by the dining hall on her way and grab some early dinner for the two of them. She wasn't in the mood to eat in there that night, planning on eating at home once she dropped off Eric's food and checked on him. It was barely after five and the dining hall was already quite crowded; Laney knew it would only continue to get worse. Looking around, she didn't see anyone who might stop to speak to her, so she made a quick exit in case someone did.

Moving the two plates into one hand once she reached the leader's place, she punched in the code, opening the door with her free hand after it beeped and unlocked. Laney tried not to think about her impending meeting with Eric, unsure of what mood he would be in when she encountered him. Just after stepping inside the apartment, it wasn't long before she heard heavy breathing and moaning, as well as a voice that didn't sound like Eric's.

The only light in the room was a dim lamp the she guessed was on a table beside the sofa. Making her way into the living room, she saw a petite girl with bleached blonde hair and hot pink highlights in barely-there underwear with way too much makeup on, and what looked to be fake boobs, sitting on Eric's lap on the sofa. Laney wanted to throw up at the sight, instantly noticing the blonde's tattooed hand down Eric's shorts. Going into the kitchen, Laney set the food down quickly, feeling inadequate and an unfamiliar twinge of jealousy that ran through her, about to make a quick retreat until she thought of a better idea.

Searching Eric's kitchen quietly, she used the slightly reflective surface of the stainless steel refrigerator as a mirror. Thankfully, she had worn a decent amount of make up that day that still looked good. Removing her messy dark brown locks from her ponytail, she ran her fingers through her long hair, letting it fall in waves down her back. She pushed her boobs up just a bit in her bra, tying her thin racerback tank into a knot on the side, so it hit just above her belly button and showed a good bit of cleavage. She removed her combat boots, socks, and jeans, leaving them on the floor in the kitchen, leaving her in just some charcoal gray boy shorts.

Checking herself over in the substitute mirror until she was satisfied with her appearance, Laney made her way out of the kitchen. She wished she had some pumps with her to complete the look, but she'd have to go barefoot at the moment. Laney had always been good at lying or putting on a ruse, so acting came naturally to her, which had always negated her from ever being Candor. Standing there by the sofa with her arms crossed, Laney cleared her throat loudly.

The blonde tramp was the first to notice her, turning her head and sizing her up before Eric realized the blonde had stopped her movements.

"Who are you?" the blonde asked snottily.

"Who the hell are you?" Laney asked in a similar tone, mirroring the girl's glare. She noticed Eric opening his eyes, shock written across his features at her appearance.

The blonde stood up off of Eric's lap, coming toward Laney quickly. Laney noticed the girl just did come up to her nose and was tiny with some muscle. Laney didn't know the girl, but she thought she had seen her around the Pit a few times on the few occasions she went out. She wondered how the girl had even lasted through the first round of initiation.

"I'm Eric's girlfriend. He called and told me to come over when I got off work. He didn't tell me there would be a slut getting him off when I got here." Her excuse wasn't all a complete lie, so Laney went with it.

"Excuse me?" the blonde answered, moving even closer to her. "Eric doesn't have girlfriends."

Just from looking at her, Laney had no doubts that she could easily take the girl if it came to that. She hadn't kept up her workouts for nothing. "You heard me. We just started dating; he's trying something new. Now, if you don't leave, I'm going to kick your ass out the door."

Laney hadn't missed the amused look that flashed briefly on Eric's face at the altercation as he continued to watch, not doing a thing to break it up or question anything Laney had said. Laney studied the now fuming blonde in front of her, reading her movements just as she threw a punch at Laney, who easily dodged it. Laney grabbed the blonde by the throat, lifting her off the ground. Taking a page from Eric's book, she got as close to the blonde's face to further intimidate her.

"If I ever see you come near him again I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life, and then keep you alive just so you can watch me fuck him repeatedly," Laney threatened, dropping the blonde roughly after making her point.

Laney watched as the blonde quickly grabbed her discarded clothes and headed for the door, crossing her arms and keeping the glare on her face as she watched.

"You're a crazy bitch," the blonde called just before shutting the door behind her.

Laney snorted and shrugged at the comment. "I've been called worse."

"Care to explain what that was?" Eric asked, still seated in his spot on the sofa, any previous amusement now gone from his face. "Really, you're my girlfriend now?"

"Oh, that was just me having a little fun," Laney replied with a shrug, making her way back into the kitchen to retrieve her discarded clothing and their food, and then returning out into the living room.

"Oh, that was fun for you? You just denied me my only chance of any type of sexual release for the first time in weeks," Eric said with a scowl.

Laney set the food on the table and began untying the knot in her tank top. "Sorry, I couldn't pass up that golden opportunity. You'll get over it."

Before Laney knew what was happening, she had been pulled onto Eric's lap, her legs straddling his with his hands holding onto her thighs. "You can make it up to me," Eric replied with a smirk, running his hands up and down her bare legs.

"Ugh, gross," Laney replied, getting up quickly before he trapped her there, and tried not to think about what she had just briefly felt against her core through the thin material of her panties. "I don't think so. There's no telling what diseases that girl has."

Eric sighed heavily, watching her. "Oh come on, we never got that far."

"You do know that she could have made your injuries worse, right? You shouldn't be having sex right now," Laney chastised, grabbing her jeans and shuffling into them.

"Yes, mother," Eric retorted, crossing his arms as if he were pouting.

"I brought you some food on my way home; thought I would come and see how you were doing," Laney commented, grabbing her plate of food. "Apparently, you're doing quite well."

"Yeah, well, I didn't think you were coming back," Eric said, looking up at her as if expecting an explanation for her absence.

"Have a good night," Laney said about to walk out of the living room toward the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Home; I've had a long day." Laney felt as Eric grabbed her wrist in a bruising grip and stopped her in her tracks, gritting her teeth at the sudden pain.

"I don't think so." Eric yanked her back onto his lap, keeping hold on her wrist. "You just cockblocked me on purpose because you're pissed at me. I don't care if I'm not supposed to have sex or not; you're going to make it up to me somehow." Eric grabbed her plate from her hands, putting it on the table in front of them.

Laney swallowed at the proximity of him, realizing the position she was in. She had clearly underestimated him. Her eyes stared into his steely gray ones that stared back at her. She tried moving her hand out of his grip, only to have him grip down on it even further. Laney tried to hold the cry in her throat, biting her lip.

"You're not going anywhere. You told me you liked being dominated, so we're going to play a little game." Eric quickly snapped one side of some handcuffs onto her wrist, attaching the other to his own. "There, now I don't have to worry about you running away from me."

Laney paled at the sight of the handcuffs, afraid of what he might have in mind. "Eric, I'm sorry, please let me go."

Eric grabbed her chin, pulling her closer to him and bringing his mouth to her ear. "No. Now, if you're a good girl, I might consider being gentle. You're going to do what I say, or I'll make it hurt."

Laney swallowed, hearing the threat of his deep voice in her ear. She didn't know how he would accomplish his threats, but she wasn't about to dismiss them. "O-ok. What do you want me to do?" She tried her best to hide the shaking of her voice.

"First, I want you to strip for me," Eric answered with a smirk.

Laney swallowed, but began to stand up off him. She saw his gaze trained on her, watching her in case she tried anything. Laney began to run over possible modes of attack in her head in case things began to go in a direction she didn't like. While she was handcuffed to him, she knew of at least a few weaknesses off the top of her head from his injuries. She decided to go along with his orders for now, knowing he was right in the fact that she had run off his chance of getting laid.

"Don't even try anything stupid, LJ," Eric threatened, pausing to grip her hand once again that had remained on the sofa. "It'll take me two seconds to break your hand."

Laney only nodded in agreement, biting her lip, before he released his grip on her. She began to undo her jeans, sliding them down her legs after kicking off her boots and socks. It didn't take her long to see that Eric quickly became enamored at her stripping, making a mental note. She began to remove her tank top, but paused with it up around her stomach.

"Why'd you stop?" Eric asked impatiently.

"How am I going to get my shirt and bra off with a handcuff on?" Laney asked, pointing out the dilemma.

"Don't worry about that. Just take them off; I'll take care of it."

Laney did as she was told and removed her tank top as much as she could. She then watched as Eric proceeded to rip the sleeve of the material in half off her arm with just his handcuffed hand, swallowing at the sight. She repeated the process with her bra, pausing only momentarily until she saw a look of annoyance on his face.

"Stop stalling," Eric said in a cold voice, his gaze angry.

She nodded and kept going, watching as he proceeded to rip her bra strap from her arm as well, tossing the ruined garment aside. She was thankful for the lack of lighting, but Laney knew Eric could see well enough.

Laney was about to move her hands down to her underwear when Eric pulled her closer against the sofa between his open legs, nearly falling on top of him. She somehow managed to keep her balance, but her eyes were glued on Eric.

"Mmm, I wish I could enjoy every single inch of you, but we both know that would hurt like hell for me. We'll have to make this short and revisit this later when I'm fully capable of pleasing you to the best of my abilities," Eric commented with a smirk as he began to run his fingers over her panties, his eyes glued to her pert, C-cup breasts with pierced nipples. "You just keep surprising me, don't you, LJ?"

Laney swallowed at the feeling, biting her lip as she watched him peel her panties down her legs slowly. Before he could get them down halfway, Laney had decided she'd have to stop him the only way she knew how. Straddling his lap once again, kissing him to distract him, she felt him run his hands down her thighs. She ran her hand over his injured hand as he went, running her fingers up his arm. She suddenly pushed down with all her strength on his arm where she knew the screws and plates were located.

"You fucking bitch," Eric groaned loudly, gritting his teeth.

"Give me the key or I'll re-break your arm," Laney threatened, bearing down even further to prove she meant it. "You'll have to suffer through another few weeks of healing, and you'll do it all on your own."

"Fuck, ok," Eric growled in pain, reaching his handcuffed hand over for the key on the side table.

"Give it to me," Laney ordered, replacing her hand with her knee firmly on his crotch.

Eric handed over the keys, grimacing as he did so while Laney unlocked the handcuffs, removing them and tossing them on the table behind her along with the key.

Laney held his hands down to keep him from overpowering her and pressed her knee further into his crotch. She leaned beside his face, watching as he was trying not to howl in pain. "If you ever try to force me to have sex with you again, I will cut your dick and balls off and shove them so far down your throat they will come back out of your ass. You got it?"

Eric nodded, nearly crying from the pain in his crotch.

"Do you understand me?" Laney slapped him across the face and dug her knee in harder for emphasis.

"Yes, ok," Eric agreed in a growl, nodding profusely.

Laney released him and got up off him, pulling her panties back up and retrieving her clothes. She saw a shirt of his laying on the sofa beside him and pulled it on over her head since hers was ruined. She then put on her jeans before moving away from him, grabbing her plate of food. She turned around before heading to the door, noticing Eric holding his crotch in pain from her actions. A small smirk appeared on her lips at the sight.

"See you later, oh, fearless leader," Laney said to him before walking out the door and making her way home.

* * *

It was nearing ten at night when Laney shut off her TV and headed into her bedroom. She had on the t-shirt she had taken from Eric and some shorts, which she removed and tossed onto her bed before padding into the bathroom, grabbing her phone on the way just in case. Though she had gotten off work early, she was still exhausted and had decided earlier on she would take a relaxing bath before bed.

Once the tub was full, she stepped into it and lowered herself into the hot water until she was laying in the tub with the water coming up to her neck. Laney was nearly relaxed when she heard her phone buzz beside her. Sighing and sitting up in the tub, she reached for the towel hanging on the rack on the opposite wall, drying her hands. Surveying her hand, she noticed it was already bruising and swelling from Eric nearly crushing it.

Picking up her phone, Laney noticed it was a text from Eric.

 _What are you doing? Can we talk?_

Against her better judgment, she decided to reply. Laying back in the tub once again, Laney started to type out that she was taking a bath, and then immediately erased that before sending it.

 _ **Getting ready for bed.**_

Watching her phone and not receiving a reply after a few moments made her shrug, setting her phone beside her on the floor by the tub. Laney was still pissed at him for his little stunt, but after thinking about it, she figured she had paid him back enough. She hadn't understood his actions, but she understood the reasoning behind them.

Laney laid her head back against the back of the tub, finding herself relaxing much easier and faster than she had imagined. It was only a few minutes later when she was nearly asleep, her eyes closed, until she thought she heard and felt something at her feet.

Being paranoid, she opened one eye just to reassure herself she was alone, only to find Eric sitting in the tub with her. Closing her eye for a second, the situation not registering immediately, Laney thought about trying to go back to sleep.

"Hmm, you're getting ready for bed and my getting ready for bed are completely different things," a deep, familiar voice suddenly responded inside her bathroom.

Laney jumped at the voice so close to her, releasing a squeal. She swiftly sat straight up in the tub, covering her naked body with her hands as much as she could as water splashed about.

"Eric, what the hell are you doing in here?" Laney asked, trying to catch her breath. "How do you even know where I live?"

Eric was trying his best to hide a smirk at spooking her as he stretched his long legs out the length of the tub. "I was bored and couldn't sleep." He paused a minute as if thinking over his reply. "I'm a leader; it wasn't hard to find out."

Laney felt his legs and feet against her skin as he made himself comfortable inside her tub, swallowing at his touch and the realization that they were both naked. Seeing him again made her feel uneasy. The Eric she knew would definitely get her back for nearly re-injuring his arm and crushing his nuts earlier. Eric's tall, built frame looked too big for the decent-sized soaker tub and made it seem much smaller than it actually was. She quickly brought her knees up in front of her, hugging them to her and trying to make herself as small as possible.

"Oh, come on, LJ, you don't have to hide from me. I didn't come here to scare you," Eric said with a look of concern written across his face. He sat up slowly in the tub and bent his knees so he could move closer to her. "I mean, you are my girlfriend, remember?"

Laney gave Eric a blank stare, watching as he proceeded to wink at her and as he scooted even closer carefully, sitting right in front of her with his legs on either side of her body. "You didn't have to get into the tub with me and scare the crap out of me."

"LJ, I'm sorry for scaring you. I wasn't thinking," Eric replied, brushing his calloused fingers over her smooth legs. "I'm also sorry for pissing you off and yelling at you the other day. It wasn't my place," Eric said sincerely. "I was just jealous that you had been with Four and that you just let him take away your virginity for no reason."

"What about earlier?" Laney wondered, eyeing him suspiciously. She could feel the hair on his legs tickling her skin, but she tried not to think about it.

"I'm sorry about that, too," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I was pissed because you scared that girl off, and I was trying to get back at you. I shouldn't have done that. How is your hand?"

"It's bruising and puffy, but it'll be fine."

Eric nodded with a slight frown, looking over it on her knee.

Laney sat there, biting her lip and watching the man in front of her carefully. She kept hearing Four's warnings sound in her head over and over, as well as replaying Eric's actions hours earlier, and tried pushing them all out of her head. Laney had never heard him apologize to anyone before, so hearing it was surprising. She wondered if he had ever even uttered the words before.

"Eric, you know I don't trust you."

Eric began to scowl before sighing, knowing she was right. "I know you don't, and I don't blame you. I just can't stop thinking about you. I wish you would let me prove to you that you can trust me. You keep coming back to check on me and doing things for me when I've given you every reason not to give a shit anymore." He paused a moment. "Hell, you stood up to me tonight when I was being a complete douchebag to you. Very few people have the guts to throw what I dish out to them back in my face."

"How would you even go about doing that—proving that I can trust you?" Laney asked curiously, running her hand over the surface of the water momentarily before returning it to her knee.

"I don't know. I'm not good at showing emotions or being someone's friend, but I'd like to get to know you better."

Laney felt his rough fingers continue to rub her legs and she let him continue, making sure that was all he was doing. She didn't want to have break his fingers. She watched his movements as his fingers moved to her thighs, slowly ghosting over them. She swallowed, part of her wanting him to stop, but the other part wanting him to continue to touch her. She knew she must be going crazy.

"I'm only good at," Eric began, pausing mid-sentence. "Being physical. That's all I know." He grabbed her hand, moving it from her knee and running his fingers over it. "I don't know how to express how or what I'm feeling for someone other than by being physical with them. I know even though that's what I want to do with you right now, it wouldn't be enough."

Laney watched him playing with her hand, understanding his words and seeing the sincerity in his bluish-gray eyes. Before she even realized what she was doing, she dropped her knees a bit and maneuvered herself so she was sitting on them between his legs and leaned forward, her lips meeting Eric's in a soft kiss.

Eric hadn't been expecting her to kiss him, but when he felt her lips on his, his mind quickly shifted into overdrive.

Laney pulled back a bit and looked at him, licking her lips as her eyes met his bluish-gray ones, noticing they were darker than normal. She leaned in to kiss him once again and found he was ready for this one. She noticed it didn't take him long before he deepened the kiss, her hands leaning on the bottom of the porcelain tub to hold herself up.

Eric felt himself wanting her the more they kissed and reached his uninjured arm around her back, pulling her onto his lap to pull her closer. He could tell she was being careful with him, and though he understood, he hated it. He ran his hand down her spine, feeling her shiver against him and received a moan at the movement.

Though Eric had pulled her onto his lap, her legs to one side, Laney wasn't complaining. While she found herself wanting to be closer to him, she didn't want to hurt him. When she felt his big, rough hand running down her back, she couldn't help but shiver and moan at his touch. It wasn't long before she felt him brush his tongue over her bottom lip, biting on it gently, asking for permission. Opening her mouth, her tongue met his and she instantly grabbed his shoulder, feeling an throb forming in her core as he continued to dominate her mouth.

Eric could feel his desire building quickly and before he could stop himself, he had pulled her even closer, so her legs were straddling his. Stretching his legs out in front of him, he felt her core against his hardened dick as they were now chest to chest, a growl escaping his mouth at the feeling. He began to kiss down her neck over her pulse point and chin, giving them both some much-needed air.

"Eric." His name slipped from her lips as she felt him against her heat, his lips continuing their assault on her neck. Her hands found their way into his soft, blonde locks as she felt herself begin to instinctively grind against him in need of some friction.

"Fuck," Eric cursed at the sensation. He held her hip in a near bruising grip as he guided her against his length. It didn't take him long before his fingers found her clit, along with her piercings, massaging the nub briefly before he began to slide a finger inside of her.

Laney gasped at the feel of his fingers touching her and invading her core, arching her back and biting her lip. When she realized where this was heading if she didn't stop him, she grabbed his hand, moving it away from her and catching her breath.

When he felt Laney grabbing his hand to stop him, Eric looked at her, thinking he may have hurt her. "What's wrong, LJ?" Eric asked, his breath just as ragged as hers.

"Eric, I'm not ready for that yet," Laney said, swallowing and hoping he understood. She noticed his pupils were fully dilated as she caressed his face with her hand. "Neither are you."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for things to progress that far," Eric apologized, closing his eyes at the feel of her touch. "It's just been a while."

"It's ok. I should have stopped you before now," Laney reassured him, kissing him one last time on the cheek before standing up.

Grabbing a towel off the rack, she began drying off and went to grab him a towel. She wrapped the towel around herself and helped him stand up out of the tub. She then helped him dry off, her eyes avoiding his prominent erection the entire time. Taking his hand, she noticed him eyeing her.

"You can stay here tonight," Laney offered as she put on the t-shirt she had stolen from him with some panties and noticed his gym shorts on the floor.

"Ok, thanks," Eric replied with a slight smile, watching her. "My shirt looks better on you than it does on me."

"Down, boy," Laney teased him. Laney reached down to the floor and grabbed his shorts, helping him step into them and pulling them up his legs. "In a few days, you should be able to move even better than you are now."

"Thank God. Not that I don't like you helping me, but I hate feeling like a fucking invalid."

Laney chuckled and shook her head as she climbed into her bed, watching as he went around the opposite side and climbed in slowly beside her. She noticed he left a gap between them, but she could still feel his body heat behind her as if he were flush against her. Laney turned on her side, flipping off the lamp on her nightstand, and let Eric's breathing lull her to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, Eric is typical Eric in this chapter. His emotions are really all over the place. Please know that I **_do not_** condone rape or forcing a woman to do anything against her will, but I felt that Eric would genuinely react that way in anger in response to Laney's actions and because he hasn't had sex in weeks when he's used to getting it whenever he wants. While I am writing Eric with more depth than he has in the books, and even the movie, he is still and always will be Eric Coulter. He's not going to completely change his ways or attitude overnight, if at all. **  
**

At this point, we're really not sure whether Eric is being genuine with Laney, or he's up to something devious. I will say that he isn't going to give up either way and the interactions between these two are only going to get more intriguing. Laney is obviously confused by Eric because she's only known him as being one way for the better part of five years. While she is extremely cautious of him, especially after the events of this chapter, she is also surprisingly more attracted to him the more she's around him for reasons she doesn't understand, which is leaving her very conflicted because she knows how dangerous he can be.

Four makes another appearance in the next chapter, and he will be featured more throughout the rest of the story. Feel free to guess what might happen next. ;)


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note** : Hi guys! I'm back with another update! First off, thank you guys so much for your continued feedback! It really helps when I'm writing.

This chapter probably would have been posted already, but I had an idea that I added to it. It kept going further in the direction than I wanted it to, so I switched the idea out for the one that's in the second half of the chapter. The initial idea will either be used later in the story or will end up being an outtake. The second attempt also got rewritten because the characters have a mind of their own, apparently. We start off with a visit with Four, as I said last chapter. There aren't any lemons in this chapter, but there is a slightly steamy moment in the latter half of the chapter. Don't worry, more will be coming. ;)

I keep forgetting to let you guys know that you can view Laney's tatts in an image gallery that I've set up for pictures that go with the story. I'll let you know when I add more. You can find the link to it on my writing blog, which is listed on my profile. Please excuse the non-updated story page, I still need to update and add things to it, which I plan on doing today.

I should be posting again early this week because I've since finished and read over Chapter 6 several times already, but I will probably proof it again just for my sanity, and I'll probably start writing Chapter 8 today or tomorrow. So, be on the look out for it. Again, I'm not sure how many chapters this story will end up having. I believe I said around ten, but I've already got the story planned out through Chapter 9 and that won't be the conclusion, so it'll probably be more like twelve or so. We'll have to see.

Enjoy the chapter and, again, thank you for all your support!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Laney sat in the relatively quiet dining hall early the next morning before her shift at eight, munching on her Frosted Flakes as she tried to focus her attention on the day ahead. Her mind kept wandering to the events of the previous night in her bathtub and how she had woken this morning to find Eric still asleep in her bed. Taking a sip of her coffee, Laney thought about how she had found herself snuggling into Eric, his arm draped over her waist; her head buried into his tattooed, scruffy neck; their legs a tangled mess.

As soon as her alarm had gone off, she had leaned over to cut the offending noise off as quickly as possible, managing somehow not to wake the young leader next to her. Laney had watched him for a few moments as Eric looked to be getting the best sleep he had had in days, his face peaceful and worry free as he snored lightly.

Laney had gotten up to shower as quietly as possible, trying not to make any loud noises. When she had finished her shower and had dressed for the day, she had initially planned on waking Eric so that he could go back home. As soon as she saw his sleeping figure curled up in her sheets, Laney hadn't had the heart to wake him. She left him a note telling him she had gone to breakfast and then work, as well as promising to bring him lunch later.

Returning back to her meal to take the last few bites of cereal left, she immediately saw Four making his way over to her table. After one glance at the look on his face, Laney nearly choked on her food as dread filled her, but somehow managed to swallow it down. She drank some more coffee before he reached her, knowing full-well he wasn't about to sit for a friendly chat.

"My apartment," Four said in a stern voice that he usually reserved for initiates, not really caring if the few souls in the room heard him or not. "Now."

Laney watched as he only slowed by her table just long enough to drop his order and keep moving, not giving her any time to speak on the matter. Rising and grabbing her tray, she took it to its designated area and threw her trash away in the cans. She kept her coffee, having a feeling she would need it, and made her way up to Four's apartment.

As Laney reached the door of Four's place, which was on the opposite side of the hall from her own, she took another sip of her coffee before knocking. She briefly glanced in that direction, wondering if Eric was still there in her bed. It didn't take Four long to open the door and pull her inside, making sure no one was around out in the hallway before closing the door.

As soon as Laney walked into the confines of Four's apartment, she could feel the tension flow off him in waves. She could tell he was angry, and she was pretty sure she could name the reason.

Pointing to a chair in his small living room, Four sat on the sofa beside it. "Sit."

Laney knew that hadn't been a request and did as he said. Four wasn't usually one to blow up or be visibly angry unless something really had pissed him off, and even sometimes then it was hard to tell behind his typical stoic expression. Even after being friends with him for five years, Laney still couldn't read his moods or thoughts half the time.

"What is it, Four?" Laney asked innocently.

"Don't give me that, Laney Jameson," Four retorted, clearly not up for games. "Could you please explain to me why I saw Eric Coulter going into your apartment last night and leaving just before I got off twenty minutes ago in nothing but a pair of gym shorts?"

"Oh, that," Laney answered, clearing her throat. "Four, it's not what you're thinking."

"Did he or did he not sleep over last night?" Four asked plainly. He continued to look at her, his eyes giving away just how pissed he was.

"Yes, but he just showed up without any warning," Laney explained, covering her face at the feel of it turning red.

"Well, if nothing happened, as you're suggesting, you wouldn't be turning six shades of red right now."

Laney went through the events of the previous night, including her kicking out the blonde she walked in on with Eric. Halfway through her explanation, she saw Four begin to bite his lip, trying his best not to yell at her for her stupidity. She made sure to leave out the part about their handcuff fiasco, knowing Four would kill the man on sight if he found out.

"How did he even get in your apartment?" Four asked. "That's just fucking creepy."

"I don't know, but he was just there."

"You're getting into deep water here, LJ. You know he's not going to stop now; he's only going to get worse."

"Four, all we did was kiss. Once he started touching me, I stopped him right then. I don't even know what drove me to kiss him in the first place; maybe I felt bad for him, and then once I did it, I couldn't stop myself."

"Are you listening to yourself right now? This is exactly why I didn't want you getting more involved with him than you had to. And then you tell him about initiation and us having a thing afterward. He's jealous that I've had someone that he hasn't and harping on your weaknesses on purpose, so he can get into your pants," Four said, running his hands through his hair. "Why do you think he was amused by you telling that girl off?"

"I didn't tell him that to piss him off or bring up your stupid rivalry. He kept bugging me about why I hadn't slept with a man in nearly a year, and then we got to discussing my sexual partners." Laney rubbed her face." I don't know, maybe he planned the whole bimbo being there to make me jealous. He didn't seem like he planned it after she was gone and was thoroughly pissed. What proof do you have of that?"

"He's baiting you, LJ. Do you honestly think that he genuinely cares about you? Eric doesn't care about _anyone_ but himself. You should know that, firsthand," Four argued, a scowl fixed to his face. "Anything you've done for him in the last two weeks is not going to change a man who wants nothing more than to fuck his way through the faction and only have to worry about his own best interests."

"I don't know, Four, maybe you're right. He still scares me enough to know that I'm sure if I went into my fear landscape again that he would be featured in one. Just because I slipped up once doesn't mean it'll happen again. He could easily just forget about me tomorrow. It's what all men seem to do with me." Laney paused looking at her friend, his face softening a bit at her words. "But if it comes to that again, I might just let it happen to actually have someone, even if it is brief."

"Don't do that, LJ," Four pleaded, shaking his head.

"What? Maybe I'm going about the whole relationship thing the wrong way. Maybe there is no prince charming for me. At least Eric's paying attention to me. It feels nice."

"A lot of men pay attention to you, LJ," Four revealed, watching her. "Eric is the last guy you want paying attention to you."

"I hate being alone, Four. I hate working long hours and always going home to an empty house. It sucks," Laney said, willing herself not to cry and not meeting Four's face.

"You think I don't know that? I'm the same way, and you know very well that whenever you want me, I'm there for you. You haven't asked me in almost a year. If that is what you want, let's do it right now."

"Four, I know you prefer being in a relationship," Laney said, shaking her head. "I know you don't like having sex whenever for the hell of it."

"If that's what you want, so be it. I won't let him take advantage of you like he's done to countless other girls, LJ," Four promised. "You need to stop doing this to yourself. You're opening yourself up to a sadistic maniac who is only going to end up ripping your heart out and laugh in your face because you fell for it. He's only going to keep doing it if you let him."

"I'm not a child, Four. You don't have to lecture me, and I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions." Laney knew she had to get work after checking her watch. She knew this conversation was going nowhere.

"Tell him that you're with me," Four said after a few moments of silence just as she reached the door.

Laney stopped in her tracks, turning her head to look at him. "What?"

"You heard me. If you tell him about us, he'll back off." Four made his way over to her, stopping just in front of her. "Maybe you being with me wouldn't be a bad thing, anyway. We'd both have someone to go home to and we can have all the sex you want."

"We tried that once before and it didn't work," Laney pointed out.

"No, we had a friends with benefits thing before, and I wasn't emotionally ready to be in a relationship five years ago. If we did it for real, he wouldn't have any other choice but to leave you alone."

"And you're saying you're ready now? You want to be with me now that Eric has taken an interest in me, but not before?" Laney asked, trying to stay calm. "You're like my brother, Four."

Four grabbed her chin with his fingers, kissing her gently but passionately. Laney began to deepen the kiss, her tongue going into his mouth meeting his as Four pushed her against the door. His hands ran up and down her arms slowly and teasing as her fingers gripped his hair.

Needing air, Laney broke the kiss a few minutes later and looked into Four's awaiting brown eyes, noticing that his pupils were now twice their normal size. She did her best not to compare him to Eric.

"Would your brother kiss you like that?" Four asked, caressing her cheek.

Laney swallowed, becoming very confused at the sudden turn of events. "No. This would only piss him off, you know that, right?"

"Can you at least think about it? If it gets him to move on from you, then I'd do most anything, whether it were real or not. But we can try it, if that's what you want."

"Ok, I'll think about it, but I can't promise anything. I know you're just trying to look out for me and that means the world to me." Laney watched as Four looked away from her. "Look, I have to go. I'm going to be late for work." Laney kissed Four's cheek before rushing out the door to make it to work on time.

* * *

It was nearing nine at night when Laney found herself curled up on Eric's sofa, chewing on her lip at the proposition that Eric had presented and she had warily agreed to. She heard him looking through his cabinets in the kitchen as she waited on his return, glasses hitting the granite countertop. Laney knew this was most likely going to end badly. Candor or Dauntless had always kicked her ass no matter how many times she played it.

Eric had pointed out that playing the game would help them get to know each other better, so Laney had reluctantly agreed. Laney rarely got drunk when she did go out and drink with her friends. The few times she had been drunk had not ended well for her, memories popping into her head that she would rather forget that still haunted her to that day. She shuddered at the thought of being wasted in an apartment alone with Eric, but her Erudite curiosity had gotten the better of her once again.

Eric made his way back over with two glasses and two full, generous-sized bottles of liquor, which from the clear and amber colors Laney guessed were vodka and whiskey. He sat everything on the coffee table in front of them and sat back down in his spot on the opposite side of the sofa from her. Eric mirrored her position and turned so he was facing her. He was going to enjoy this.

Laney watched him as he got comfortable across from her on the sofa, her leg that was on the floor bouncing up and down with nervous energy.

"Ok, rules are the same. Person at the end with the most clothes on wins," Eric said with a smirk.

"Well, I already have more clothes on than you," Laney pointed out with a smug smile.

"Not for long," Eric taunted as he poured them both some vodka in their glasses.

Laney rolled her eyes as she took the glass held out for her. While she hated the game, she was still really competitive by nature. She would not go down easily.

"Ladies first." Eric gestured for her to begin, eager to see what she would come up with.

"Ok, Candor or Dauntless, Eric?" Laney asked, sitting up further on the sofa and taking a gulp of her drink.

"Well, normally, I would pick Dauntless, but because I want to know more about you first, I'll go with Candor." Eric took a swig of his own drink.

"Ok," Laney thought a minute. "How old were you when you had your first kiss?"

"Easy; I was twelve," Eric replied. "LJ, Candor or Dauntless?"

"Candor."

Eric thought of a question, a smirk appearing on his lips as came up with one. "What's the most erotic thing you've done to date?"

Laney instantly turned red at the question, but didn't hesitate to answer. "The time when I chained Dean up to his bed and dominated him during sex."

Eric's eyes went a bit wide at her revelation as his lips turned into a smirk. "You liked having full control over him, didn't you? It is quite empowering."

"Very. Candor or Dauntless, Eric?"

"I'll take Candor once again."

"Ok, what's your most embarrassing moment?" Laney asked with a mischievous grin.

"I peed my pants during two of my fear landscapes. If you ever tell anyone about that, I will get you." He pointed at her with a serious expression on his face, eyeing her with a more intimidating threat than his words.

Laney had no doubts that he would follow through on his threat, so she did her best to hold back a laugh. "Ok, my lips are zipped. I'll go with Candor once again as well."

Eric took another sip of his drink. "What's your worst fear?"

"Abandonment. Your turn."

"Candor, again," Eric answered.

"What's your worst fear?" Laney asked curiously.

Eric carefully removed his vest that he had put on to give him extra clothing and tossed it on the unoccupied chair without hesitation. He wasn't giving up too many of his deep, dark secrets so they could be used against him, even if he was sure Laney wasn't that type of person.

As it got later in the night, the two had already gone through a bottle of the liquor on the table. Eric remained in only his boxer briefs, while Laney still had on her tank top, bra, and panties. Laney had begun to lose her clothes when she started to choose Dauntless, Eric daring her to do things to him she wasn't up for yet or refused to do. Eric had done all but a couple of her dares so far, but refused to answer certain personal questions.

"LJ, Candor or Dauntless?" Eric asked, already having in mind what he would ask or dare her to do.

"Dauntless," Laney replied, any fear or hesitation forgotten because of the alcohol in her system.

"Oh, goodie, I was hoping you would pick that one." Eric paused rubbing his hands together. "I dare you to give me a lap dance." Eric smirked smugly. He figured she would chicken out and choose to remove yet another article of clothing, but was surprised when she downed the rest of her drink, set her glass down onto the table, and stood up approaching him.

Laney briefly thought about refusing, but she was inebriated enough that she wanted to have a little fun. Plus, she didn't mind making the leader squirm. Laney pushed the coffee table away from them a little with her foot before she stood a few feet away from him.

It didn't take Eric long to realize that she was going through with the dare and turned to face her, watching her movements intently.

"Do not laugh at me. I've never done this before and there's no music," Laney said as she began to dance teasingly.

"I'm not laughing one bit," Eric commented matter-of-factly as his gaze stayed glued to her.

Laney began dancing as sensually as she knew how. There were a few times when she nearly burst out laughing at how stupid she felt at the moment, but she could easily tell Eric was enjoying the activity immensely. Not only could she tell by the way his enamored gaze was trained on her every move, but she could also see the evidence of his excitement through the prominent bulge in his boxer briefs that he made no attempts to hide.

Laney moved closer to the sofa, standing between Eric's open legs. She made sure to brush hers against his own in her movements to tease him. She turned around so her back was to him, slowly bending down forward to push her butt in up in the air. She spread her legs a little, running her hands up the backs of her legs, before standing back up. She heard an appreciative growl from behind her and smirked, turning around to face Eric once again.

She moved so she was standing at his legs and grabbed his thighs, squeezing them as she leaned forward over his lap. Laney began to run her tongue up his bare chest, starting at the waistband of his boxer briefs. She kept going until she reached the leadership tattoos on his neck, still holding herself up by gripping his legs.

After standing back up, Laney moved between his legs and picked up her right leg, placing it over his on the sofa to spread her legs a bit at his eye level. She ran her hands over her body slowly, making sure to run one over her panties. She could tell Eric's resolve was close to breaking as his hands were balled into tight fists, but she kept going. Climbing on the sofa on her knees, Laney hovered over Eric's lap, dipping a few times to brush her core ever so lightly against his erection.

"Shit," Eric hissed, running his rough hands over her smooth thighs.

"Uh uh; lookie, no touchy," Laney warned, slapping Eric's hands away.

"Not fair," Eric said in a mock pout. If he knew he wouldn't hurt himself, he would take charge and take her right then and there.

Laney couldn't help but laugh as she moved his hands and decided it was time for her dare to be over. Just as she was climbing off him, Eric pulled her back down so she was straddling his lap. She was now all but laying on top of him when she felt his mouth against her ear, his hot breath tickling her skin.

"Soon," Eric said plainly, moving her body so that her core ground against his erection for emphasis.

Laney only shuddered at his husky tone of voice, biting her lip at the feel of his excitement. She knew exactly what he meant and the way he uttered the word was a like a promise he intended to fulfill sooner rather than later. She found part of her itching for him to do just that before she stood up off him quickly.

"I should get going, as fun as this is. I have to work tomorrow, and I know I'm going to have a hangover as it is," Laney said, nearly stumbling over the coffee table behind her. She didn't know if it was because she was drunk or slightly on edge because of his promise of things to come, but she was thankful when Eric grabbed her hand to steady her.

"You should stay here," Eric said sternly, making sure she knew his words weren't a request. "You don't need to be trying to walk right now." He stood up carefully, leaving the fully and half-empty bottles along with their glasses on the table for now.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll take the spare bedroom," Laney decided in agreement, not really noticing that Eric still had her hand in his.

"No, you won't. My bed is plenty big enough for both of us." Eric began to lead her down the hallway to his bedroom, not giving her a chance to protest.

Laney trailed behind him, her clothes forgotten where they had been discarded in the living room. She couldn't help but gaze longingly at the rippling muscles on his massive back that she noticed was dotted with freckles here and there.

As they entered his room, he let go of her hand, leaving her standing by the bed. "I'll get you something to sleep in." Eric made his way over to his dresser, opening a drawer and began digging through it. He knew everything of his would swallow her, but he figured she would want something more comfortable to sleep in.

"You don't have to; what I'm wearing is fine," Laney commented, only to notice him grab a faded black t-shirt out of his drawer, anyway.

"Here, put this on," Eric tossed her the shirt, obviously ignoring her previous comment. "It'll be big on you, but it's one of the smallest ones I have."

Laney somehow managed to catch the shirt, holding it in her hands as she watched him shut the drawer.

"I'll let you get changed," Eric said, leaving her in the room by herself and closing the door behind him as he went to clean up in the living room.

Laney looked at the worn t-shirt in her hands and brought it to her nose. The overwhelming scent of Eric hit her nose and she smiled. Knowing Eric wouldn't be gone long, Laney removed her tank top and bra and slipped the t-shirt on. The shirt was big on her and came down to her mid-thighs, but she didn't mind. She set her clothes in the chair in his room and made her way into his bathroom.

Once Laney emerged from the bathroom, she saw Eric setting the rest of her clothes on the chair with the ones she had just placed there, setting her boots on the floor. He tossed his t-shirt and shorts into the laundry hamper and draped his vest over the back of the chair neatly.

Laney made her way to the bed and sat down on it, her balance beginning to become difficult. She took in the soft black comforter, running her hands over it. She noticed as Eric wandered into the bathroom for a few minutes before emerging with two pills and a glass of water.

"Here, take these," Eric instructed as he handed her the pills.

Laney took the pills graciously and popped them into her mouth one by one, drinking some of the water to help get them down. Handing the glass back to Eric, she watched as he set it down on the bedside table. "Thanks."

"No problem," Eric replied, climbing on the bed carefully beside her to his side.

Laney got comfortable on the bed, laying down and fluffing the pillow under her head. It wasn't long before Eric pulled her to his side against him, his arm draped around her. Taking his cue, Laney then laid her head on his chest.

"How many women have actually slept in your bed besides me?" Laney asked curiously after a moment of silence, the question leaving her lips before she could think about it. She began to play with his chest hair a bit absentmindedly.

Eric chuckled a little at the question. "It's a one-digit number; consider yourself lucky. Now, go to sleep."

Eric could count on one hand the number of women that had stayed the night with him and slept in his bed since he usually preferred sleeping alone or went to the girl's place instead. The number of times he had stayed at a girl's place overnight was even less than that. He found after staying the night with Laney that he actually enjoyed her company and body in bed with him, even if it was only just to sleep, so far. Eric began to run his fingers through her long, brown locks slowly, liking the feel of its softness on his fingers.

Laney only nodded in response and it wasn't long before she found herself being lulled to sleep by Eric's fingers running through her hair and the thrum of his heartbeat.

* * *

 **A/N** : I don't think there's any clarification needed on anything, but as always, feel free to ask me a question about anything if you have them.

Also, as I said, I've planned the story out until Chapter 9 and am still contemplating on what happens after that. If you have any ideas or suggestions of scenarios or something that you'd like to see happen in this story, feel free to suggest them and I may use them in the story with credit, of course.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N** : Hi, guys! Here's the chapter I promised you. It was going to be posted yesterday, but the site had others plans being down all day. It was extremely annoying, but I'm so glad it's back up and running.

This chapter is not the original chapter I intended on posting. I, literally, wrote this chapter in less than two days, starting Sunday night. With the site down yesterday, I was able to read over it enough to my satisfaction. I came up with this idea on Sunday afternoon, and while writing it out, I wasn't sure if I'd use it or not. I then got the idea to use the outtake I mentioned last chapter that was partially finished for the latter half of this chapter, but reworked it a bit, so it's not exactly how I originally intended to use it. I'm a bit nervous about this chapter because I usually have a lot more time to think them over, so let me know if it sucks or not. More of an explanation about the chapter below, if you care to read it.

Just a warning for all readers, there is definite smut in the second half of this chapter and it's a bit explicit. It's not in as much detail as I normally go into, but it's written that way for a reason, which you'll find out once you read it. It's still on the graphic side, though.

As in last chapter, Eric's texts are in _italics_ , while Laney's are in _**bold italics**_.

I hope you enjoy and thanks once again for all your love!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

It was pitch black dark when Laney heard her phone ring beside her, sitting straight up in her bed. She was used to getting late-night calls from time to time being in Dauntless with people who drink on a daily basis, but she was supposed to be off the next few days. Grabbing her phone, she rubbed her eyes and glanced at the screen to see it was none other than Eric.

"Hello?" Laney asked, trying to wake up completely by rubbing her face.

"Laney, it's Eric," Eric replied as if it wasn't obvious.

"Eric, it's after one in the morning. What is it?" Laney did her best to pay attention in case he had hurt himself. She noted through her sleepy haze that his tone wasn't his normal cold one.

"I know. Look, I'm sorry for waking you, but I really need your help."

"Ok, give me a couple minutes, and I'll be right there."

Laney hung up and got up out of bed before she changed her mind. She knew she had to put on more clothes, wearing only a thin t-shirt and underwear. She dug through her dresser until she found a pair of shorts, quickly pulling them up her legs. Grabbing her phone on her way out, she quickly made her way up to the leader's apartment, completely forgetting about shoes until her feet hit the cool tiled floor in the halls.

Once she had run up the stairs and reached Eric's door, Laney quickly punched in the code and made her way inside. There were hardly any lights on, as per usual. As she made her way into the apartment, she saw Eric standing around in nothing but a pair of gym shorts that hung low on his hips with the drawstring loose and untied, as if he had just thrown them on. His hands were resting on top of his head as Eric paced the room. Laney could immediately tell something was wrong and didn't think she had seen the leader this visibly upset before.

"Eric, what is it? Are you ok?" Laney asked rushing over to him.

"LJ, I screwed up," Eric commented, only stopping a minute to look at her and returned to his pacing.

"Tell me what happened. I can't help you if you don't calm down and explain everything." Laney grabbed his uninjured arm to stop his pacing, pulling his face to look at her own.

Eric grabbed her hand, pulling her quickly behind him into his bedroom without hesitation, barely giving her a chance to catch up. When the two entered the room, the sight Laney saw had her mouth dropping open.

"Oh my god," Laney replied in shock. Looking into the room, she instantly saw blood on the floor and an unconscious girl lying on her stomach that Laney immediately recognized as the blonde that she had threatened. "Eric, what did you do?"

"I-I called her back to see if she would come back over. She wouldn't at first because I think she was afraid of you; I told her I would take care of you and not to worry." Eric bit his lip, pausing. "When she got here, we started to fool around. It was just kissing, at first, and then when it started going farther, she started calling you a slut and other derogatory names out of jealousy, saying you weren't good enough for me and that I deserved better. I kept telling her to stop, but she wouldn't."

Laney watched as Eric began pacing once again.

"I finally punched her to shut her up, and I must have hit her harder than I thought. Her head hit my desk, and then she was out cold. I didn't know who else to call."

Laney sighed, not saying a word before she knelt down to the girl on the floor, her nursing mindset kicking in. She checked the girl's neck for a pulse, noting it was still steady, though even without a thorough examination, Laney could tell the girl would have a nice bump on her head for a few days. "Eric, get me a towel or something. We need to get her to the infirmary, but I need to stop the bleeding as much as possible until we get her there."

Eric stared at Laney as if she were spouting out a foreign language at him that he wasn't familiar with.

"Eric, towel. Now," Laney said a bit more forcefully.

Eric obeyed the command, finally, and ran into the bathroom, returning a minute later with a couple of towels. He dropped beside Laney and handed them to her. It was then that she noticed the knuckles on his right hand were slightly bloody.

Laney took the towel and pressed it onto the wound on the back of the girl's head. "How many times did you hit her?"

"I think it was two times," Eric admitted, looking at the floor. "She tried fighting me off, but I was in a blind rage by then, and I shoved her away from me. When she came at me again, I punched her. I told you, I really screwed up. I should have never called her, I was just really horny."

Laney grabbed Eric's hands, noticing the early signs of panic, and pulled him closer to her and the unconscious girl gently, replacing her hands with his to press the towel onto the girl's head injury to give him something else to focus on. "Keep putting pressure on the wound."

Eric pressed the towel onto the wound, noticing the blood seeping into the cotton material.

With her clean hand, Laney grabbed Eric's face so he couldn't help but look at her. "Eric, it's ok. She's going to be fine." Laney caressed his cheek to calm him down even further. "You didn't do this on purpose, Eric. No, you shouldn't have hit her, but the rest was an accident."

Eric gazed into Laney's brown eyes, listening to her calm words. He began to believe her and felt himself calm down just a bit. He nodded, letting her know he understood.

Laney kissed his forehead before moving her attention back to the girl on the floor. She wrapped the towel around the around the girl's head, tying the ends together to keep the towel in place. "Ok, you're gonna come with me. I know you can't help me, but you can at least make sure I don't drop her."

"You're going to carry her?" Eric asked, a puzzled expression appearing on his face with his eyebrows raising.

"Well, you can't carry her without risking further injury to yourself and there's only one person in the infirmary this time of night. Trust me, she's not that heavy."

"No, you don't weigh that much more than she does. You're going to hurt yourself trying to carry her that far. Call someone to come help you," Eric ordered, easily slipping back into leader mode, not leaving any room for discussion.

"Ok, but you're not going to like who I call. There's only one person that I know who would help me help you, and he's not going to be happy about it, either." Laney grabbed her phone and called Four.

"Oh, don't tell me you're calling number boy," Eric retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up, Eric." Laney glared at him a minute before Four answered and she began to explain to him she needed his help. She knew Eric detested being told what to do, but she saw him sigh and begin to pace again.

In less than ten minutes, Four was knocking on Eric's door. Eric had gone to let Four in and the two hadn't said a word to each other, only exchanging heated scowls. Four had protested, which Laney had expected, and had only agreed to help her because she had asked him to.

"What the hell happened in here?" Four asked after entering Eric's bedroom and eyeing the unconscious girl, his accusing eyes landing on Eric immediately.

Laney cut Eric's retort off and explained to Four that the girl had slipped and fell, hitting her head in the process, but she could tell he had a suspicion that there was more to the story.

"Thanks for coming, Four," Laney hugged him briefly, trying her best not to get blood on him.

"No problem, LJ. I don't have long before I need to get back to the control room, so we need to get going—Zeke is covering for me," Four explained. He effortlessly picked up the petite girl as if she weighed next to nothing and headed to the infirmary, Laney and Eric following him closely behind.

Everyone was silent on the walk down to the infirmary, no one really knowing what to say. They had opted to take the elevator down to make the trip faster. Laney could tell Eric was feeling a bit better, but still upset with himself at the incident.

Once they reached the infirmary, Laney met with Jenna briefly and explained what she had told Four, leaving out the part about Eric hitting and shoving the girl. She knew she shouldn't do it, but she couldn't help but feel bad for the guy, and she could do Eric at least one more favor. Laney knew there was no proof of what had happened, and it would end up being Eric's word over the girl's if the situation were brought to anyone's attention.

Four had left as soon as they had gotten the girl into the infirmary, giving Laney a look of disappointment as if letting her know he knew she was covering for Eric, and they began to examine the girl further. He had begrudgingly agreed to take care of any footage of them. Eric remained off to the side, watching as the two nurses looked over the blonde's injury. Laney wasn't sure where Eric had hit the girl since there was no evidence of it on her face or any other part of her head.

Jenna soon confirmed what Laney had first assumed, the injury wasn't a bad one, and the girl would fully recover. She had found a bruising area on the girl's stomach when searching for other possible injuries, but the contusion could have happened during the fall, so Jenna didn't think anything more of it. Jenna had stitched the girl up and gave her a few pain meds. She might have a concussion, but they wouldn't know that until she woke up. Just after settling the girl into a bed for the night, Eric and Laney slipped out to avoid any further confrontation when the girl awoke.

Laney found herself walking back with Eric upstairs several floors to his place. The two remained silent, unsure of what to say. When they returned to the leader's apartment, Laney went into his bedroom to clean up the remaining blood off the floor.

"You don't have to do that," Eric said finally, sitting on the bed watching her.

"I don't mind," Laney said, scrubbing the floor with bleach. "I'm used to cleaning up blood, anyway."

Eric only nodded, giving up any arguing on the subject since it was clear Laney wouldn't listen to him, anyway.

"Who is that girl? I think I've seen her in the Pit a couple times," Laney asked, trying to make idle chitchat.

"Her name is Stella. She works in one of the bars in the Pit and also works in the salon sometimes," Eric replied mechanically.

Laney didn't comment any further, sensing that Eric wasn't in a chatting mood.

When she was finished cleaning, Laney threw away the ruined towel and put the cleaner back in its place under the bathroom sink. She washed her hands, the blood swirling into the water and turning it red. When her hands were clean, Laney made her way back into Eric's bedroom, a wet washcloth in her hand. She made her way over to where the man still sat on his bed, staring off into space.

Eric didn't notice Laney's presence return until he felt the cool washcloth run over his bloody knuckle, causing him to jump a bit and hiss in pain at the sudden movement.

"I'm sorry," Laney apologized, halting her movements momentarily.

"Don't be," Eric replied as his stormy gray eyes met her brown ones.

Laney resumed cleaning Eric's knuckles gently and wiping any remnants of blood off his hands, standing in front of him beside the bed.

"Why did you lie for me?" Eric asked finally, his eyes not leaving her.

"What do you mean?" Laney asked, playing dumb.

"You know exactly what I mean, Laney," Eric retorted with a bite to his tone. "Why would you protect me like that?"

Laney stopped her movements and set the washcloth aside on the nightstand, looking up at him. "Eric, you hurt the girl standing up for me. Yes, I should have told Four and Jenna the truth, but it wasn't necessary. Plus, it wasn't a total lie—she did fall and hit her head." Laney glanced into his eyes briefly. "It would also only make them think worse of you," Laney said barely above a whisper.

Laney began to move away from him before Eric grabbed her hand, pulling her back to him between his legs against the bed, nearly losing her balance and falling onto him. His gaze was one of the most intense she had seen him give her.

"Thank you," Eric said after a few moments of silence and staring into her eyes.

"You're welcome," Laney replied, looking away after a few moments, her gaze involuntarily moving to his lips.

Laney didn't know what made her do it, but before she knew it, her lips were on his. What started out as a soft kiss quickly turned into a heated one as Eric took complete control, his hands gripping her hips roughly, pulling her as close as possible. Her hands found their way into his hair as his tongue slipped into her mouth and melded with her own.

Laney broke the kiss suddenly after a few minutes in need of air, kissing him softly once more before Eric wrapped his good arm around her body. Laney leaned her chin on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his bare muscular torso.

"You owe me," Laney said teasingly as she whispered against his ear after a few moments of silence between them. She felt him shudder against her.

"Whatever you want, it's yours," Eric replied breathlessly.

* * *

It was nearing nine p.m. as Eric sat on his sofa in the living room, flipping through channels on the TV. He checked his phone to find nothing new on it. No surprise there. Tossing it back in its place on the cushion beside him, he sighed. He shouldn't have expected anything more; today was just another day, after all. He didn't know why he had the small hope that someone would at least acknowledge that it was his birthday, but he was Eric Coulter, after all. He didn't have any feelings or emotions, anyway, according to his fellow Dauntless members.

Normally, Eric would spend the day every year working until he was too tired to think, find a girl to go home with, or make his way to one of the bars in the Pit to drink his cares away. Earlier, he had even thought about sneaking out to the Pit to do just that, but realized he would just end up drinking alone. It was true that in years' past his so-called friends had joined him in the bar, but he never told them it was his birthday. Of course, he hadn't seen a one of his so-called friends since he had been injured, either.

He ultimately decided against going anywhere, knowing Laney would chew him out for drinking period while he was taking pain medication, and just generally not feeling up to it. It wasn't a matter of if she found out about his slip up, Eric knew she would find out somehow. While he wasn't afraid of the girl, Laney could boss him around like she was his superior, regardless of the reality being the other way around.

Laney also wasn't afraid to put him in his place, unlike most of the people he came in contact with, as evidenced by her threats that he fully believed she would follow through with while crushing his arm and balls. He had to admit that he liked to rile her up, just to see her feisty attitude come through her typically laid-back demeanor. He wondered which side showed through more in the bedroom, hoping that one day he would find out while getting lost in his dirty thoughts.

Eric had hoped she would stop by, but Laney had told him earlier at lunch that she would have to work late that night. He wasn't sure how late she worked on night shifts, but she had told him she would see him the next day, so he figured Laney wouldn't feel up to doing much of anything after she did get off work. That still didn't quell the small hope that she would show up, though.

Shaking his head of any thoughts of her, Eric turned the annoying TV off and made his way back to his bedroom, grabbing his phone on his way. He used the bathroom and was about get into bed when he heard his phone chime. Checking the screen, he saw that he had a text from the very girl taking over his thoughts lately.

 _ **What are you up to?**_

 _About to head to bed. Why?_

 _ **Go check your kitchen, first.**_

Eric raised his pierced eyebrow curiously, making his way back up the hall in his apartment, not bothering to put on a shirt. He hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary in his kitchen earlier, and no one had been in his place since lunch. As Eric came into his living room, he noticed the light on in his kitchen through the cut out in the wall that hadn't been on moments before.

As he rounded the corner, Eric found Laney standing there holding a large piece of Dauntless cake on a plate in her hands. A lit candle had been placed in the middle of the piece. He also noticed the smile on her lips. She looked like she had just gotten off work, but he still thought she looked amazing, even with her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and very little makeup remaining on her face.

"Happy birthday, Eric!" Laney cheered as if it were her own, walking towards him with the plate as she began to sing "Happy Birthday" to him.

Eric stood there, dumbfounded that she would even bother. "How did you know?"

"I have your medical chart at my disposal," Laney admitted, as if it were obvious.

"Oh, yeah, right," Eric replied with a hint of a smile. "I thought you had to work late?"

"Eh, I fibbed a little. I told you that so you wouldn't be expecting me. I got off about fifteen minutes ago." Laney set the cake plate down on the countertop and hopped up onto the counter to sit after being on her feet most of the day. She picked the plate back up in her hands after a moment. "I convinced the kitchen staff to save me a slice."

"And you did this for me?" Eric asked, touched by the small gesture as he watched her making herself comfortable on his kitchen counter, turning to face her.

"Everyone should have their birthday celebrated, even grouchy, socially awkward leaders that don't tell anyone it's his birthday." Laney smirked a little.

Eric found himself chuckle at her jab, knowing she wasn't wrong.

"Here, blow out your candle and make a wish." Laney held the plate up closer to him.

Eric watched her, noting her excitement over his birthday. The last time his birthday had been noted or celebrated by anyone was some years before he had left Erudite, before his parents thought he had gotten too old to celebrate the day. That is, when they were around for his birthdays or remembered the date.

Taking a minute to think of a wish, Eric thought of one that he found he had really wanted lately. A moment later, he blew out the candle with a small puff of breath.

Laney watched as he thought and had noticed as the corners of his lips curled up before blowing out the candle. She couldn't help but smile at him.

Eric's eyes met hers as he plucked the candle out of the cake, sticking the end of it in his mouth and sucking off the chocolate slowly. "Mmm."

Laney sat there frozen at the sight, swallowing as she watched his tongue pick up the remnants of chocolate frosting left on the end of the candle that he hadn't gotten with his mouth. She immediately saw some had stuck to the corner of his mouth, her hand reaching out and slowly going to his lips to wipe it off with her finger.

Eric watched intently as Laney's finger touched his mouth to remove the frosting, his tongue grazing over her finger of its own volition.

A shudder ran through her body at the feel of his warm tongue on her skin. Laney brought her hand back to her mouth and licked the remaining frosting off it. With a smirk, Laney plucked a small chunk of the confection dessert from the slice with her fingers, bringing it up to her mouth slowly and tauntingly.

Eric immediately closed the gap between them, stopping inches in front of her face and eating the chunk of cake before Laney could slip it into her mouth. Laney shuddered at the feeling of her fingers in his warm mouth, releasing her hold on the chunk of cake so that he could swallow it.

Once he had swallowed the small, melting chunk of cake in his mouth, Eric began to lick the chocolate icing off of Laney's fingers that remained inside his mouth. Laney began to feel a familiar pull in her abdomen as well noticing her panties quickly becoming damp.

Removing her fingers from his mouth, Laney wiped Eric's chocolate-y saliva off on a towel that she found on the counter.

"What did you get me?" Eric asked before he even knew the words had left his mouth, licking his lips.

"Um," Laney paused as she watched Eric take the plate from her hands and set it on the countertop. "I didn't know what else to get you."

Eric began to smirk as he placed himself between her legs against the counter, placing his hands on either side of her. "I can think of a few things I need off the top of my head."

Laney felt his large body spread her legs as he invaded her personal space, her lip going between her teeth. "Like what?" Laney had no idea why she had even asked that.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Eric asked, playing with the hem of her shirt.

Laney found herself nodding, her gaze locked on his steely eyes that were now level with her own. Laney suddenly felt his soft lips against her own, returning the heated kiss. She tasted chocolate and a hint of mint that tasted like toothpaste. Her hands ran up his hard back slowly.

"Is that all that you need?" Laney heard herself asking as Eric began to kiss down her neck, tilting her head back to give him better access.

"Hell no," Eric replied against her skin, sliding his hand up her shirt over her spinal column.

"What else do you need, sir?" Laney asked curiously with a shudder.

Eric grabbed her hand in his with a smirk at her calling him "sir" and brought her hand from his back around between them, lowering it over his impressive erection.

Laney gasped as Eric held onto her hand and moved it over his fully hardened length, giving him light squeezes and massaging him through his gym shorts. She heard him give her an appreciative growl at her actions. A smirk appeared on her lips.

"What else, sir?" Laney asked, knowing full-well what he wanted, but continued to tease him.

"If I must be blunt," Eric began, pausing momentarily as he began to lift her shirt up. "I need to be inside of your neglected pussy and fuck you until you can't walk anymore." Eric slowly began to kiss up her stomach, inching her shirt higher as he did so.

Laney shivered at his words, allowing him to remove her shirt. She noticed his momentary surprise quickly turn into excitement as he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. She still couldn't find any words to say after his bold revelation. Her fingers went into his hair, gripping and tugging on it gently as he kissed up her stomach.

"Will you be so kind as to grant me my wish?" Eric asked against her skin, running his tongue between her bare breasts.

Before Laney could respond, she found herself nodding profusely to answer his question.

"I want to hear you say it," Eric urged in a husky voice as he dipped his fingers in the chocolate icing of cake slice and put a generous amount over her pierced nipples. "What do you want?" Eric began to slowly suck the chocolate off, alternating between nipping and licking before switching to her other breast to give it the same attention.

"I want you to fuck me," Laney replied enthusiastically, feeling as if he had drawn the words out of her mouth. Her panties were now drenched at the feeling of his mouth on her nipples that were now hard pebbles.

"Good. That's all the confirmation I need," Eric replied, quickly stopping his ministrations and pulling her flush against him so they were chest to chest. "Now, are you going to be a good girl, and do exactly as I ask?" Eric ran his fingers over her hair, opting to leave it in its ponytail.

"Uh huh," Laney answered automatically as she felt him squeeze her thigh roughly.

"What was that?" Eric asked, his voice going low. "I don't think I heard you correctly. A good girl doesn't agree with her leader in that way," Eric explained when Laney gave him a confused look.

"Yes, sir," Laney corrected when she realized her mistake.

It didn't take her long to realize what game he was playing, taking her words that she liked to be dominated to heart, quickly following his lead. Part of her wondered how much of it was an act and how much of it was his usual way of getting what he wanted. At the moment, she was enjoying it immensely either way.

Eric began to undo the button and zipper to her pants, wanting to rid her of all her clothes. "That's my good girl." Eric removed her boots, dropping them onto the floor out of the way, and quickly found her feet were sockless. "Ok, now, stand up for me."

"Yes, sir," Laney responded, sliding off the countertop onto the tiled floor. She didn't have much room to move around as Eric stayed in place just in front of her. He began pushing her pants down her hips, motioning for her to step out of them once they pooled at her feet on the floor.

Laney obeyed his silent request, kicking the pair of pants off to the side. She watched as he backed up a couple of inches to admire her toned body in just a pair of lacy boy shorts. While Eric was eyeing every inch of Laney, she began to feel bold and began to slowly untie the drawstring on Eric's gym shorts.

When Eric realized what Laney was doing, he watched her movements intently. "Brave, are we?"

Once Laney got the drawstring undone, she began to slide the already low hanging gym shorts down Eric's legs with ease. She met his gaze with a smirk, and then continued her task. She went slowly, at first, to tease him, but once they reached his knees, they fell to his feet.

Laney stared at his massive erection, swallowing and licking her lips in anticipation as Eric kicked his shorts to the side out of the way. She squealed a bit when Eric suddenly grabbed her hips in a near-bruising grip, swiftly flipping her around unexpectedly so her back was to him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, LJ. Just trust me, ok?" Eric whispered reassuringly into her ear, pushing her firmly against the cabinets.

Laney only nodded in response, feeling a loss of warmth without him against her. She bit her lip in anticipation of his next movements.

"Ok, now, place your hands on top of the counter and spread your legs for me." Eric ordered calmly, watching to make sure she did as he said.

Laney quickly obeyed and placed her hands on the granite countertop, spreading her legs a bit. She felt immediately when Eric was adjusting her stance to his liking, nudging his knee between her legs so they were further apart and moving her arms forward some on the counter so she was leaning over it slightly. Laney swallowed at his touch. She turned her head a little to try to see what he was doing, but finally felt his hands on her ass.

Eric ran his hand down over her heat suddenly, feeling just how turned on she was. "Mmm, you're all wet for me, aren't you, baby?"

Laney nodded once again as he began to massage her through her thin panties, hoping he would remove them sooner rather than later. She knew he was teasing her, but she wasn't generally a patient person. When his hand was no longer on her, she was surprised and let out a small squeak when she felt a smack on her butt, though it only seemed to turn her on even more. "Eric, please," Laney pleaded with him.

Eric smirked at her begging and removed her panties slowly down her legs until they were on the floor.

Laney stepped out of them, kicking them over with the rest of their clothes. She bit her lip, waiting as patiently as possible when she felt Eric run the tip of his length over her folds. Shuddering, Laney moaned loudly.

In a second, Eric had pushed her body against the cabinets even further with his own, feeling him leaning flush against her from behind.

Just as quickly as he had moved against her, Eric had plunged into her, both moaning loudly at the feeling. "Fuck," Eric cursed, leaning his hands on top of hers on the counter and intertwining their fingers. "Hold on, LJ," Eric whispered into her ear.

Laney shuddered at the warning, doing just as he said as he began to thrust roughly in and out of her. Her head and back arched at the depths he was already reaching, Eric tugging on her ponytail gently.

He began kissing her exposed neck as he intertwined his fingers with his own. Eric moved one of his hands after a few minutes, bringing it in front of her and thumbing her clit.

"Oh, Eric," Laney moaned nearly incoherently, her eyes shut.

She felt him quicken his pace, though Laney didn't know how he could possibly move any faster. When she felt her walls beginning to clench down around him, she could tell she was terribly close, itching to fall off the edge as the burning built up inside her. Her knees began to shake, feeling like she would fall any minute, but felt Eric wrap his arm around her stomach to hold her up. Laney could tell by Eric's movements that he wasn't far behind her, massaging her clit even more to further stimulate her.

"Eric," Laney nearly screamed out as he slid out and barreled back into her more forcefully. While she thought it should be painful, it was doing nothing but getting her closer to her release.

"Shit," Eric growled as her walls hugged him even more, about to climax as well.

* * *

Laney suddenly heard a maddening noise and sat straight up in her bed, nearly jumping out of her skin. Looking around the room, she found herself in her apartment, her alarm blaring in her ear. Turning the offending noise off, she rubbed her face while catching her breath. Her body was covered in a sheen of sweat, finally feeling her t-shirt clinging to her skin.

Pushing her covers off, Laney was about to get out of bed when she realized her sheets were wet. Quickly turning on the lamp on her nightstand, she saw a big wet spot where she had been laying, noting her panties were soaking wet.

"Holy fuck," Laney uttered, most of the dream quickly returning to her now that she was more awake. Well, that was a fine way to wake up in the morning before having to go to work. Now, Eric pounding into her from behind in his kitchen was going to be a prominent feature in her mind all day long. She just knew it. If Eric ever found out that she had wet dreams about them, she would never hear the end of it.

Getting up out of bed and stripping her sheets off, Laney began to replay the dream in her head voluntarily, a smirk appearing on her face, finally. Maybe that wouldn't exactly be a bad thing to have on her mind, after all.

* * *

 **A/N** : *peaks around the corner slowly* Please don't hate me for ending the chapter that way. I promise you the next chapter will not disappoint you. ;)

The first part of this chapter came about after getting an idea of wanting Eric to be in another vulnerable situation, one that freaked him out a bit, and Laney was the only one he knew to help him out. I realize it might be slightly out of character for Eric, but my thinking with it is that the outcome wasn't intentional, and he most likely thought he had killed the girl when she hit her head and fell unconscious. I think even Eric would act a bit panicky in that situation. He is human, after all, and this is before he's really into killing people (Divergents). In my mind, at this point, he hasn't killed very many people, at least not willingly. Again, I try to make it so he's not so one-dimensional.

As for the dream, at least we know exactly how Laney is feeling at this point, whether she admits or realizes it yet or not. I wonder how she's going to deal with that doozie of a dream. Stay tuned. I should be posting the next chapter that I had originally planned on posting sometime tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N** : I'm back once again as promised! Thank you guys so much for all your wonderful feedback, follows, and favorites! They really mean a lot to me.

I won't be posting another chapter until early next week because I need to finish another chapter or two over the weekend. I'm still two chapters ahead of you guys, and currently writing Chapter 9, so I will post at least once next week, but most likely twice as I normally do.

This chapter has more steamy moments in it, so I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I promise there are no dreams in this one, though. ;) I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

As Laney made her way into Eric's door the next day, holding two lunch plates in her hand, she shut the door behind her, finding the living room empty and the place quiet. She had left his place the morning before around eight for her shift, with a killer headache that had stayed with her most of the morning. Eric had just woken up before she left, and had come to his place at lunch once again. During the short time Laney had seen Four the night before he hadn't said anything, so she hoped he hadn't seen her sneaking out of Eric's apartment that morning in the control room. She would get an earful if he had.

Eric had texted her earlier that morning, asking if she had time to eat lunch with him. Against her better judgment after the night they had had and the dream that she still couldn't get off her mind, Laney decided she would take him up on his offer, knowing the guy had to be lonely. She found the more she was around him, though he still scared her, the more she was beginning to enjoy his company.

Setting the plates down on the table, Laney removed her hoodie, laying it down on the chair in the living room. Gathering her hair up into a ponytail, she began to search for Eric, heading down the hall to his room. She hoped he was dressed and just possibly sleeping, but something in her gut told her she was wrong.

Just as Laney reached the cracked door, she heard a groaning noise coming from inside. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she pushed the door open further slowly. Peaking around the half-opened door, Laney held in a gasp at the sight of Eric laying naked on his bed. Her lip automatically ended up between her teeth as she couldn't help but watch Eric stroking himself. Gripping the door in her hands, she found herself leaning against it, unable to tear her eyes away.

Laney's brown eyes took in the familiar sight of the sculpted chest and abs that Eric possessed that was covered in a semi-thick patch of sandy blonde hair that trailed all the way down his chest, abdomen and reached his pelvic area. Though Eric was quite hairy, Laney found the sight was actually attractive on him. As her eyes continued their descent down his body, she took in the rippling of his thick biceps and legs as he continued to pleasure himself.

Though Laney had had the pleasure of seeing him naked while helping him shower and briefly a couple nights ago, she never allowed herself to truly take in the sight of the leader fully naked. With his head thrown back against his pillow and eyes closed, Laney couldn't help but feel a churning in her lower abdomen at the sight of his large hand stroking his fully erect member. She was a bit surprised when she discovered that his size was pretty dead on in her dream when compared to the real thing.

After standing there for several minutes, the churning began to turn into an ache between her thighs. Laney was sure her bottom lip was now white and was surprised she hadn't drawn blood at how hard she was biting it at the moment. Without noticing it, the door Laney had been gripping began to open further with her weight against it. She suddenly began falling forward and wasn't fast enough to grab the door before it opened out of her reach. She found no way to save herself from being caught and found herself lying on the floor, the door hitting the wall with a thud that sounded much louder than it actually was.

Laney no longer heard Eric's moans and was too mortified to even move from where she lay at the foot of his bed on the floor. She wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear, so she wouldn't have to face what she knew was going to be one of the most embarrassing moments in her life. She hid her face in her arms to try to hide the redness that she knew was currently engulfing her cheeks.

After what seemed liked ages, Laney lifted her face up from off the floor, listening for any signs of Eric. Lifting her head up toward the foot of the bed, she saw Eric sitting there overlooking the edge of the king-sized bed, wearing a shit-eating grin on his face.

"May I help you?" Eric asked, moving to the edge of the bed and placing his legs on the floor on either side of Laney's body.

Laney immediately looked back down at the floor when she realized the position they were now in. "Kill me now," Laney muttered to herself.

Eric only chuckled at her comment, grabbing onto Laney's hand and pulling her up off the floor, so that she was now standing between his legs. "You do realize that I knew you were standing there the entire time, right?"

Laney shook her head, still feeling how red her face was. "Um, no, I didn't."

"I heard you coming down the hall. Thought I would surprise you," Eric replied with a smirk. He laid back on the bed, crossing his arms behind his head, not at all caring about his state of undress. Eric closed his legs some around her, so they were now both situated against her own.

Laney swallowed, not missing how hard Eric still was and his legs tightly hugging her own. It seemed no matter how hard she tried to avoid looking down at his prominent erection, she still found herself taking glances every few moments out of curiosity. "Um, I-I brought your food. I should get back to work," Laney stuttered, turning her head to look away finally and attempting to back up out of Eric's grasp.

"Nope," Eric responded, grabbing her hand to keep her there and tightening his grip on her legs. "You're not done yet."

"Eric, please. I have to-" Laney started before being interrupted.

"Nope, I don't think so. I took the liberty of calling in a favor. You're here taking care of me for the rest of your shift. Plus, you said earlier you'd eat lunch with me." Eric smirked, sitting back up on the bed carefully.

"You did what?" Laney asked flabbergasted.

"Just another perk of being a Dauntless leader; I have a little bit of pull here and there," Eric replied nonchalantly, pausing briefly. "Now, since I got you out of work for the rest of the day and you were so intent on watching me get off and interrupted me, I figure it's only fair that you do something for me."

"Um, what?" Laney asked with a swallow, watching as Eric ran his fingers down her arms, causing every hair on her body to stand straight up and goosebumps to form on her skin. The events of her dream flooded steadily back into her mind, regardless of how much she tried to force it from her thoughts.

Eric moved his hand to her black skinny jeans, licking his lips as he did so. "Answer me a question," Eric began, pausing as he brazenly ran his fingers down the front of her jeans.

"Wh-what?" Laney swallowed once again as she watched Eric's movements.

"Did you enjoy watching me touch myself?" Eric asked huskily, running his fingers over her core.

Laney proceeded to bite her lip at the feel of his fingers running over her, the seam of her jeans rubbing her in just the right spot. When he added more pressure, a soft moan instinctively escaped her lips, her eyes snapping to his hand. He forced his leg between hers, spreading her stance to give him better access.

"Hmm, since you're not going to give me a straight answer, I'll just see for myself." Eric smirked once again as he undid her belt and unbuttoned her jeans. As he noticed Laney watching him, he began tugging the skin-tight jeans down her toned legs without pause. When her jeans were on the floor pooled at her feet out of his way, he ran his fingers over her black and gray striped cotton underwear slowly.

Laney let out a whimper at the feel of his fingers on her, biting her lip.

"Mmm, I'd say you did," Eric said, adding more pressure. "If watching me touch myself made you this wet, just imagine how wet I could make you with other methods."

His deep voice sent shivers down her spine. Laney shook her head a little, ripe with uncertainty. "Please don't..." she managed to say half-heartedly, nearly whimpering.

Eric chuckled at the nurse before him. "You say no, but your body is telling me otherwise."

It wasn't long before Laney felt Eric's gaze on her eyes as he continued to push her buttons. Once he saw the curious expression in her eyes, he began tugging her panties down her legs, his hands running skillfully over her ass and thighs, making her even more wet. "Eric, we can't. You're going to hurt yourself, and I'm still not ready."

"Oh, I know. We're not going that far," Eric responded with obvious frustration in his voice. "Yet."

Laney thought that one word was enough to do her in right there, his deep voice lowering to a huskier tone. She hadn't missed that Eric had made it sound like a promise he intended to keep, reminding her of his promise from a couple of nights before. She then wondered if he could make her orgasm with just the sound of his voice and his words. Laney swallowed as she felt even more wetness pool between her legs at the thought.

"You're going to get naked for me, and then you're going to help me relieve some of this tension," Eric said matter-of-factly, his fingers running over her inner thighs slowly.

Laney shuddered at the thought and from his touch, finding herself obeying his words out of curiosity. She had gotten his dominating nature right in her dream, at least. Toeing off her boots and socks, she stepped out of her jeans that were now pooled around her feet, kicking them off to the side. She felt Eric's eyes on her every move as she removed her t-shirt. She then removed her bra, dropping it in the pile of her other clothes.

Her immediate reaction was to cover herself, feeling so exposed, but before she could move her hands, Eric took them in his own. "Don't."

Eric's command hadn't been harsh, but she knew it was meant to be obeyed. Meeting his eyes, Laney swallowed at the intensity of his gaze as he looked her over.

"Turn around," Eric instructed, watching as Laney complied. "I wanna see all of you, first."

Laney did as she was told and turned around so her back was to him. When she felt his calloused fingers tracing over her skin over one of her tattoos, a shudder ran down her spine. She turned her head a bit to look at his reactions.

"Wow, these are beautiful," Eric commented after pausing a few moments and taking in her naked form in front of him. He lifted her ponytail off her back to give him a better view, draping it over her shoulder.

He took the time to inspect each tattoo: one that started at the nape of her neck that went down nearly the entire length of her back and curved around to her side that was similar to the lace-patterned tattoo on her arm, on the bottom right side of her back was a lone feather that broke off into several tiny birds, and, finally, a tattoo of the phrase "We believe in ordinary acts of bravery" from the Dauntless manifesto written in a script handwriting on the top left over her shoulder blade.

After seeing the final tattoo over her shoulder blade, Eric was immediately taken back five years to when they had gotten their first tattoos together on the second day of initiation, the two easily deciding on phrases from the Dauntless manifesto to represent their new faction.

"They're not much," Laney replied modestly, turning back around to face him once again. "I've thought about getting more, but I don't know what yet."

"Don't sell yourself short, LJ. You're beautiful," Eric commented with a slight smile, running his fingers over her toned stomach. He hadn't noticed until now how in-shape Laney really was, her abs slightly defined on her stomach.

"Thanks, Eric." Laney smiled at the compliments.

"Don't thank me yet. We're not done," Eric replied with a wink, pulling her closer to him so she was nearly flush against him. He trailed his hands over her skin for a little bit longer, teasing her. He found it took every ounce of control in him to stick to his plan of not touching her more than he was already.

Laney moaned at the feel of his muscular body against her own, his excitement still evident against her leg. "What are we going to do?" She managed to find her voice somehow.

"First, let your hair down. I like it better like that," Eric said in more of an order than a request.

Laney removed the ponytail holder from her hair, her hair flowing down to her shoulder blades, placing the hair accessory on her wrist so she could find it easily later. She began to think of how Eric's moods changed in an instant, surprised that she was willingly letting him control her actions this time, reminding her of her dream the further they went.

"Now, go get my desk chair," Eric began, releasing her from his hold between his legs. "And bring it over beside the bed, facing it." He found himself relieved and more frustrated at the same time at releasing her.

Laney went over to retrieve his leather desk chair and rolled it over to the side of the bed. She noticed that Eric had moved to the head of the bed and was now sitting against the headboard. She immediately surmised he was used to being in control, and that obviously applied to the bedroom as well. "Ok, now what?"

"Sit down in it and spread your legs so they drape over the arms," Eric instructed, watching as Laney did as he asked, moaning in anticipation.

Laney had since figured out what he was planning, but kept listening to Eric's instructions. After getting comfy in the cool leather chair, she turned it so she was facing directly toward Eric's line of sight.

"Good girl," Eric praised, running his hand over his hardened length momentarily at his first sight of her two piercings between her legs. "Now, so I won't further injure myself and you won't feel like you're hurting me, we won't touch each other. You're going to touch yourself while I watch and, in turn, touch myself."

Laney felt a smirk appear on her lips, finally feeling at ease. "Sounds simple enough." She soon found that she was already getting his chair wet, feeling more wetness pool inside her at the sight of his hand on his dick. "Hmm, looks like I'm already making a mess."

"Fuck, this is going to be harder than I thought," Eric muttered through clenched teeth with a noticeable shudder.

Laney continued to smirk as she began to pinch her pierced nipples, making them harden. "Aww, is Eric not used to relinquishing control?"

"No, I'm not. You just wait," Eric teased with a smirk of his own.

Laney shivered, running her hand down her stomach to her to her core. Part of her wanted to take him up on his word, but she kept her focus on the task at hand. She began to lightly massage her clit, adding more pressure after a few minutes. Scooting down into the chair some more to give her better access, she kept her thin fingers on her clit and swapped hands. "I don't normally use my fingers while doing this, but they'll work just fine."

Eric shuddered at the thought of her doing this act alone and wondered if she thought about him. "When did you get the piercings?" Eric asked out of curiosity, his focus still on her hands.

"I've had them a couple of years. I got the four not in my ears in different dares and have just kept them. I actually kind of like them, now. I did have my tongue pierced briefly a few years ago, but I took it out because it got annoying." She brought her right hand up to her mouth, her eyes on Eric the entire time, sinking two of her slick fingers into her mouth and sucking on them exaggeratedly. "Mmm, tasty."

"Damn it, LJ," Eric cursed loudly, his hand picking up its pace on his fully erect member, completely forgetting about his question. "You have no idea how badly I want to be inside you right now."

Laney proceeded to smirk, removing her fingers briefly before returning them into her mouth and adding a third finger. Once she was satisfied at their wetness, she removed them from her mouth. "Oh, I think I do."

Eric watched her intently, his hand instinctively stroking his dick as he did, varying his pressure and speed. He could already feel the pre-cum running down his length and onto the sheets underneath him. He loathed not being able to do what he wanted in that moment—yank her out of that chair and plunge into her sweet, wet core.

Laney further lathered her fingers with her juices before she slowly slid two of them into her heated center. Moaning at the sensation of her fingers stretching her slightly, she slid them in as far as they would go and began to remove them just as slowly, her eyes closing. After repeating the process a few times, she curled her fingers upward, hitting just where she needed.

Quickening her pace, her back arched at the growing desire in her belly. Laney added a third finger, stretching herself even more, and opened her eyes at the sound of Eric's grunts and curses getting louder. She smirked delightfully as she began to massage her throbbing clit, now noticing her moans were rivaling Eric's. Laney knew it wouldn't be long.

As her walls began to clench around her fingers, she nearly screamed in pleasure at the feel of her climax, arching her back. Watching Eric through heavy-lidded eyes, Laney noticed as he too fell over the edge. The sight nearly made her come again as he tilted his head back against his headboard, his bottom lip between his teeth, and a loud moan escaping his lips as spurts of his seed spilled out onto his sheets.

Laney saw when his eyes opened, meeting her own satisfied gaze, and licked her soaked fingers while the two tried to slow their rapid breathing. "That was fun."

"Yes, it actually was, but I would have preferred you doing it rather than myself," Eric smirked with heavy-lidded eyes as if he hadn't been sated in ages.

After Laney stood up from the chair, she surveyed the damage made in his chair, finding a decent puddle of her juices. "Oops," Laney commented as if she wasn't really that sorry. "We'll have to clean that up."

"We'll do clean up in little bit. Nurse, I need a shower, first." Eric stood up carefully and made his way into the bathroom, swatting her ass as he walked by her.

Laney squealed in reply and smacked his own butt, finding she liked the look and feel of it, following him into the bathroom. "I may even consider showering naked with you since I need to take a shower myself, but only if you promise no touching."

As much as she could picture herself and Eric having way more fun in the shower than they had just had in his bedroom, Laney knew if Eric did so much as even touched her right now she would probably do whatever he wanted her to, which, in turn, scared the hell out of her.

"Fine," Eric conceded with a pout as he started the shower.

While Eric got into the shower, Laney headed to his linen closet to pull out some towels for them, hanging them up on the towel rack before stepping in herself. She could seriously use a cold shower then, still very keyed up from their escapades moments ago.

Moving around a bit in the shower toward the spray of the water, Laney slipped on the slippery tile, feeling big, muscular arms wrap around her quickly before she had a chance to fall. Her hands were on his chest, and Laney noticed she could feel every inch of him against her. Glancing into his eyes, Laney swallowed. "Um, thanks."

"No problem," Eric replied, his eyes not moving from hers while ignoring the pain in his ribs from his sudden movements.

The two stayed in their embrace much longer than they meant to, Laney finally getting up the nerve to move away from Eric before she did something she might regret later. She began to busy herself with washing her body to get her mind on something else.

Eric cleared his throat after Laney went to get his body wash, silently cursing himself for not taking the opportunity to make a move on her when he had the chance. Laney had initiated kissing him twice already, and he was usually the one that took what he wanted when he wanted it from whatever girl had caught his eye at the time.

Somehow, Laney was different, though. He found himself wanting to honor her wishes of waiting to have sex until she was ready, which was something completely foreign to him. Though he didn't understand the reasoning for her wanting to wait, and knew part of it was due to his injuries, he figured it was mostly because she was still a bit fearful of him. He had never cared about earning a girl's trust before, but he found he really did care that Laney fully trusted him and wanted to prove to her that she shouldn't be afraid of him.

Laney began washing Eric where he couldn't reach once she had finished with herself, trying to think of things that grossed her out to keep her hands and mind at bay for the moment. Her thoughts kept her spacing out every few moments, despite her determination of trying to make herself stop being aroused. Her mind kept going straight to her dream of Eric thrusting roughly inside her from behind. At one point, Laney even dropped the bottle onto the floor, jumping at the loud noise it made.

Eric couldn't help but laugh at the girl in front of him. He had been watching her zone out for the past few minutes off and on, wondering what she could possibly be so fascinated with other than his naked form in front of her.

"It's not funny, Eric," Laney insisted, smacking his chest playfully before leaning down to pick up the bottle she dropped.

"Yes, it is. You should have seen your face," Eric replied, his laughing finally becoming under control once again.

"Ha, ha." Laney tried to ignore him as she resumed lathering his legs and feet.

"What were you thinking about, anyway?" Eric asked curiously.

"Nothing," Laney replied instantly, standing up and turning him around to rinse off his front. She placed some more body wash into her hands and began lathering his expansive back. She put the bottle back in its place on the small shelf to keep from dropping it once again.

"I don't believe you," Eric responded, becoming annoyed that she was hiding something from him. He hated when people did that.

"Eric, I told you it was nothing," Laney said, trying to get him to drop it.

"And I still don't believe you." Eric surprised Laney as well as himself as he suddenly backed her up against the tiled wall a bit forcefully.

Laney gasped at the feel of her back hitting the cold wall and his body nearly slamming against her own, Eric obviously hiding any pain the movement might of caused him. She had a feeling she would have a bruise later, but her back was the least of her worries at the moment.

"Tell me what you were daydreaming about," Eric spit out in his normal icy tone, placing his hands on either side of her body to trap her in place. "If there's one thing that I really hate, it's being lied to."

Laney swallowed, closing her eyes a moment. Opening them back up, she noticed how close to her Eric was. She knew Eric wouldn't stop until she told him and would only become more angry the longer she stalled. The guy was used to interrogating people, so it came to no surprise to her that he had easily seen through her lies.

"We can stand here all damn day if we have to, so you might as well spit it out." Eric's tone wasn't quite as harsh as before, but she could still hear the coldness in it.

Laney closed her eyes and swallowed. "I was thinking about the dream I had this morning."

"Go on." Now, Eric was really intrigued. He could practically smell her nervousness flowing off her, but he also sensed that the dream turned her on.

"It was your birthday and I brought you a piece of Dauntless cake." Laney paused a minute until she felt Eric running his hand down her side to coax the rest of the details out of her, almost in a sort of an apologetic gesture. Laney sighed, calming just a little at the feeling. "You thanked me by taking me from behind against your kitchen counter, but not before licking chocolate off my nipples, kissing me, and showing me how hard you were."

Eric froze immediately at her revelation, groaning at the thought. He looked at Laney to find her eyes still closed as if she were replaying the dream in her head at the moment. "Was that all?" He noticed his voice sounded deeper than normal.

"I called you "sir" and you were dominating. You made me say out loud that I wanted you to fuck me." Laney swallowed, recalling the dream as if it had just happened.

"Shit," Eric muttered under his breath.

"I woke up just before we both climaxed at the sound of my alarm." Laney paused, opening her eyes, finally, to find his steely ones staring back at her, noticing his pupils were much larger than they were a couple minutes ago. "My sheets and panties were soaked. I had to wash them." She couldn't help but smirk a little at his reaction.

"No wonder you were so receptive to my pushing your buttons a little while ago." Eric smirked, feeling nothing but pride and arrogance at knowing that Laney was not only having dreams about him, they were wet ones at that.

Laney pushed him to the side gently, making her way to the shower door. "Too bad it was only a dream, though," she muttered teasingly, knowing he would hear her.

Laney heard Eric curse loudly behind her as she grabbed a towel and began drying off, smirking at her ability to take control of the situation away from him so easily. "You coming?"

I will be in a minute, Eric thought silently to himself. He had to be in hell right now. "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute," Eric responded finally, watching Laney saunter out of the bathroom. "LJ, you are seriously going to be the death of me."

He found himself really looking forward to the time when he would no longer have to hold back from her and could show her just how much in control he could really be.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N** : Wow, thank you guys so much for your continued support for this story! Your kind words always brighten my day. This chapter is slightly shorter and is sort of a filler one. Again, I wrote it in less than two days after coming up with the idea, not having planned it ahead of time. I wanted to incorporate more Four somehow before I posted the next chapter, and this is what came from it. While there is some Fourlane (as I've named them) in this chapter, there is also some Laneric/Leric, too. ;)

I probably won't post the next chapter until later this week since I've been kind of slacking the last few days. I've been juggling writing and re-watching _The Vampire Diaries_ from the start like I always do before the new season premieres. The next chapter is mostly finished; I just need to proof it and possibly add/edit a few things here and there. I hope you guys had a great holiday weekend if you're in US. Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

The infirmary was all but empty, with one patient remaining overnight for alcohol poisoning, when Laney's shift was nearing its end for the day. Getting her things from her small locker, Laney was ready to grab something to eat and pass out in her bed after a long day's work. The infirmary had had a lot of people come in and out throughout the day, which wasn't anything unusual in Dauntless, with nothing too out of the ordinary. The day had marked Laney's fourth straight day working, having filled in for one of her co-workers once again. One of the doctors had seen how hard she had been working lately and told her to take a couple days off, which occurred quite regularly since she had a tendency to overwork herself.

Just before leaving the infirmary wing, Laney was called over by Trevor, who had only been working in the infirmary for less than a year, to answer a question. Before she was finished speaking with Trevor, she heard her name being called. Laney looked around tiredly, finding Four by the entrance.

"Hi, Four," Laney called out, waving with a smile.

"I hate to interrupt, but are you almost done with your shift?" Four asked curiously with a hopeful gleam in his eye. "I wanted to take you somewhere."

"Yeah, I'm just about to leave. Give me a minute?"

"Sure, I'll be waiting outside." Four exited back out of the main entryway.

Laney finished her conversation with Trevor, making sure he was clear on the subject of his question before leaving and told him to call someone if there were any problems. Making her way out of the area, Laney covered up a yawn as she approached Four, who was leaning up against the wall in the dim hallway.

"Hey, you ok?" Four asked, a bit concerned. He could tell with one look that Laney was exhausted.

"Yeah, just a little tired. Where was it that you wanted to take me?" Laney asked, rubbing her face.

"We can do this later if you want," Four began, knowing exactly how working hours at a time could exhaust a person. "I just thought we could eat and hang out." He pointed to a bag with plates in it as if he had planned the idea.

"Oh no, I'm fine. I have the next couple days off, so I'll be good. I have to eat, anyway," Laney replied reassuringly.

"Ok, good. Just don't fall asleep on me," Four replied with a smile as they began to make their way up to the roof.

Laney rolled her eyes and followed him. "I won't."

When the two had made it onto the roof minutes later, the first thing Laney did was glance up at the star-filled night sky. "You remembered."

"Yep," Four replied proudly.

The roof they were currently on was a different one from where the initiates jumped down into the compound as a test of bravery. Laney found herself coming up to the very spot where they were when she had the free time. It had been a while since she had last come up, due to her busy schedule of taking care of Eric and working when she wasn't taking care of him.

It was just around eight, so it was dark enough for all of the stars to glow brightly against the black, contrasting sky. Laney inhaled the fresh air deeply, forgetting how nice it was above ground. Night time was probably one of the few things she missed since she had come to Dauntless. While she had a window view from her apartment, she couldn't open it very much, so it didn't feel the same. She was a little bit surprised that Four had chosen this spot because of his fear of heights, but then she noticed his distance from the edge of the roof.

"You ready to eat?" Four asked a few minutes, breaking her from her reverie. "Food's going to get cold."

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I just don't get up here enough," Laney replied, glancing back at Four as he sat with his back against the wall of the roof that bordered another building as far away from the edge of the opposite side. "What do we got?"

"Hamburgers and fries, what else?" Four smirked knowingly, removing the plates and drinks from the bag. "Why do you like it up here so much? You've never told me."

Laney made her way over to Four and plopped down beside him. She took a plate from him and opened it, popping a fry into her mouth. "Well, you know I've always loved looking at the stars. It started when I was little in Erudite, after my mom died. I was always fascinated with them for some reason after that, and the older I got the more I learned about them, among other things." Laney halted her explanation, hating to reminisce about her childhood because it reminded her of the family that no longer cared about her.

Four nodded in response, letting her speak. He took a bite of his burger, knowing that Laney wouldn't go into her past too much, just as he wouldn't. Though Four knew about most of her past, and had found it was sort of similar to his own without the abuse, he knew Laney didn't like discussing it much. Laney was the only person who he had shared his own past with, and he completely understood her not wanting to talk about hers freely.

"It's stupid, and I know illogical, but I've always felt like my mom was looking down on me when I looked up at them. I guess I felt like she was with me or something." Laney took a bite of her hamburger, not wanting to expand any further on her comment.

"That's why you have the star tattoos," Four surmised, glancing at her tattooed wrists. He knew there was probably more meaning behind her identical tattoos that had to do with her mother, but he didn't want to push it since she didn't seem too open about the topic.

Laney only nodded in response, looking down at her lap.

"So, how is dealing with our fearless leader going?" Four asked, changing the subject.

Laney looked at him once again, chewing and swallowing her food. She thought carefully about her words, not wanting to give her growing attraction towards the young leader away. "He's surprisingly not that bad, now. His health is progressing everyday."

"Is he still chasing after you? I haven't seen him going or leaving your apartment any since the first time I saw him."

"He's been hooking up with that Stella girl—the one you helped carry to the infirmary several nights ago." Laney could taste the lie in her mouth as soon as she spit it out. She hated having to lie to Four, but she couldn't tell him what was really going on between her and Eric, if there really was anything.

"What happened to her, by the way?" Four asked, chewing on his food.

"Oh, she's fine. Eric never went into specifics, thankfully. She had a bad cut on her head, but it was nothing major. She was released from the infirmary the next day with a few stitches. Eric obviously needs to learn to be a bit more careful with his whores." Laney took a sip of her drink, hoping she didn't sound jealous.

Four furrowed his eyebrows at the girl beside him. He found it hard to believe that Eric had just given up on Laney that quickly and moved on, especially since Laney went to his apartment multiple times every day. "Laney..." Four said knowingly.

"Ok, fine, he still flirts with me. I've gotten used to it." Laney shrugged it off, her and Eric's recent encounter filling her head.

"Which is why you need to just agree to be with me. I'm telling you, he would back off if you were with me," Four replied, watching her reaction.

"I don't know, Four. I don't even know if either one of us has time for an actual relationship. We would never see each other." Laney knew he couldn't argue with that point. They both worked long hours at a time and sometimes had completely different schedules.

Laney picked up another fry when she suddenly felt Four's lips meet her own in a tentative, soft kiss. She dropped the fry back onto her plate, returning his kiss. Glancing back at him, Laney swallowed, noting the question in his eyes. When she didn't protest, Four kissed her again, adding a little bit more passion behind it.

Laney broke the kiss, Four's brown orbs staring back into her own. He caressed her cheek softly. "Just please tell me you'll still think about it. I would make time for you if you were with me, LJ."

"Have you ever been in a relationship, Four?" Laney asked curiously, figuring that he hadn't.

"No, but that's beside the point. I've chosen not to be, not because I was never asked. I know how to treat women and, I mean, we're already close, anyway."

Laney nodded in agreement, swallowing. "I'll keep it in mind." She hated telling Four no and didn't want to lead him on, but she couldn't tell him what she found herself really wanting deep down. She knew Four would probably never talk to her again if he found out she was the least bit attracted to his arch rival.

The two finished up their meal within a few minutes and walked down to their floor, discarding their trash on their way into a public bin in the hallway. Laney kept her eyes on the floor as they made their way down the hall, Four walking her to her door. While Laney's mind should have been on Four's offer, it had quickly gone to the leader that she hadn't seen since she had quickly dropped his lunch off that day before needing to get back to the infirmary, hoping he wasn't pissed that she hadn't stopped by for dinner.

When they reached Laney's door, they both stopped in front of it. Laney chewed on her lower lip. "Thanks for bringing me dinner, Four," Laney said with a small smile, breaking the silence.

Four returned her smile. "No problem. I figured you could use a change of pace and scenery."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" Laney asked, unsure of what to say to her friend after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, sure."

Laney typed her code into the keypad on her door, pushing into her apartment before being stopped abruptly. Four's mouth melded to her own in a sweet kiss that lasted only a few moments as he gripped her chin gently before releasing her.

"Have a good night, LJ," Four replied, his deep voice lower, and a smile on his face.

"You, too, Four." Laney smiled a bit, licking her lips and went into her apartment, letting the door shut behind her.

Laney leaned back against the wooden door, her mind just as confused as ever as it finally dawned on her what had just happened. Four had taken her on a date that she hadn't even realized was supposed to be a date. Shaking any thoughts of either guy from her head, Laney made her way back to her room, too exhausted to think about anything too deeply that night.

When she entered her room, Laney tossed her bag down in the corner onto her chair, not even noticing her lamp was on already on the nightstand. Turning around toward her bed while letting her hair down, Laney jumped at the sight of Eric sitting on her bed.

"God, Eric," Laney replied, trying to slow her breath. "You have to stop doing that."

Eric smirked. "Sorry."

Laney halfheartedly tossed a throw pillow at him, only for him to easily catch it and set it aside. Laney kicked her boots and socks off, padding into her bathroom momentarily to brush her teeth and relieve her bladder. She took in a deep breath and let it out, taking a minute to calm her thoughts at the discovery of Eric in her bedroom just after wanting to forget about him, as well as Four, for the night.

It had been three days since their naked encounter in Eric's room and shower, and things had been somewhat normal between the two. While there had been suggestive comments from Eric and a few lengthy stares exchanged, nothing else had happened between them. Laney had done her best to keep it that way when around him, though her mind and body kept testing her resolve. She had had a couple more dreams that featured Eric, but she had purposely not told him about any of them. It had helped that she had worked the last four days to keep her busy, keeping her time with the blonde leader short.

Returning from the bathroom, Laney noticed Eric hadn't moved from his spot on her bed as he watched her movements carefully. She grabbed a sleeping shirt and turned her back to him, beginning to remove her clothes.

"Where have you been?" Eric asked finally, his eyes never leaving her. "You didn't come by tonight."

Laney had known that question was coming before he asked it. She hated to answer at all, but she knew Eric well enough now to know that he wouldn't leave it alone until he found out the truth. "I was eating a late dinner with Four on the roof."

"Why?" He asked with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"He met me just before I got off and asked if I'd eat with him." Laney shrugged her shoulders, slipping the long t-shirt over her head. Before she could pull the shirt down over her body, she found herself being quickly turned around and pinned against the wall, surrounded by nothing but burning heat.

Eric tugged the black t-shirt down the rest of the way over Laney's face, keeping hold of it. "You do know this is my shirt, right?"

Laney found his piercing gray eyes staring into her own when the t-shirt had been pulled off her face. She swallowed, realizing he was right. "Yeah, I've been meaning to give it back to you." Her voice was just above a whisper, realizing how close he stood to her.

"Oh, really? Yet, you sleep in it." The corners of Eric's lips rose a bit in amusement.

Laney only nodded in response, finding herself unable to form any words at the moment.

Eric moved her hair to the side and dipped his face into her neck, rubbing his nose against her skin and taking in her intoxicating scent. He moved so his mouth was against her ear. "Keep it. It looks good on you."

Laney swallowed and somehow managed to escape his trap against the wall, beginning to make her way over to her bed. She pulled the covers back on the bed, trying to give her mind something else to focus on at the moment.

"So, what were you and number boy doing on the roof?" Eric asked, moving away from the wall and turning back around to continue watching her.

"We just ate and talked," Laney replied, knowing that if anyone could tell she was lying or leaving something out, it would be Eric.

"Was that all?" Eric asked, raising his pierced brow.

"No, he kissed me three times." Laney decided she was too tired to fight with Eric at the moment and looked down at her bed.

"Excuse me!?" Eric asked, his voice raising a few octaves.

"They were harmless, Eric." Laney suddenly felt him behind her, his hands sliding up the shirt and wrapping his arms carefully around her waist. She leaned back against him, not trusting her legs at the moment. If she let herself think about it, Laney could already feel Eric's growing excitement through his shorts and her cotton panties against her butt.

Eric moved her hair out of the way once again and brushed his lips over neck up to her ear. "In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't share what's mine."

Laney shuddered against him, closing her eyes at his deep voice and the implications behind his words. She swallowed as his large hands began running slowly over her bare skin beneath the shirt. Beginning to feel a familiar pull in her lower regions and not trusting herself at the moment, Laney unwound his arms from around her before he could touch her anywhere else.

"What were they like?" Eric asked curiously, watching as she turned to face him.

"They were just kisses. I don't know how to explain them," Laney started before Eric pulled her closer to him yet again.

"Show me," Eric ordered, needing to know how he stood against his competition.

Laney gave up trying to move away from Eric, sensing he wanted her close. She leaned against him to hold her tired body up once again. "The first one was hesitant," Laney began, placing a soft kiss on Eric's lips. "It was like he was asking for permission."

Eric returned the kiss, holding back as she demonstrated how Four had kissed her.

"The second was a bit more passionate, but still sort of chaste." Laney met Eric's lips once again, mirroring Four's second kiss and adding a bit of a passion behind it. She let her lips linger a bit longer as they shared the kiss.

Eric groaned once Laney broke the second kiss, wanting to deepen it immediately.

"The third one was a bit of a surprise just before I came inside here and found you. He grabbed my hand as I was walking in and pulled me into it." Laney kissed him softly but a bit quicker than Eric had expected, breaking away from his hold a moment after their lips broke apart. "I told you, they were harmless."

Laney was about to climb into bed when she felt Eric take her hand and turn her swiftly so that she was facing him. He pulled her to him into a quick kiss, dominating her mouth finally. She moaned at the feel of his hands snaking up her shirt, his rough hands running over her back slowly but surely. He took advantage of her open mouth, his tongue sliding into it to massage her own.

Laney gripped the t-shirt he wore, feeling as though she wanted to rip it from his body so she could feel his hard muscles with her hands. It wasn't long before her own hands dipped underneath his shirt instinctively. She felt her desire quickly growing, breaking the kiss before she could stop herself.

Catching her breath, Laney swallowed as she met his fiery gaze, licking her lips to taste him still. "What was that for?"

"I wanted you to know the difference," Eric replied breathlessly, his fingers brushing over her back still. "I wanted to show you how a real man should kiss you."

Laney swallowed and removed her hands from Eric's shirt, chewing on her lip. She found herself yawning then, trying to hide it from Eric.

Eric chuckled with a smile. "It's ok, LJ. I can see that you're tired," Eric said, removing his hands from her back and from underneath her shirt. He brushed her hair behind her ear slowly, watching her.

Laney decided she liked his warmth against her and began to pull his t-shirt off slowly, removing it from his uninjured arm, first, then over his head, and pulled the sleeve carefully down his injured arm so not to hurt him. She tossed his discarded shirt on the chair in the corner and turned around facing her bed. She reached for his hand, tugging him gently behind her.

Eric watched her climb onto her bed, observing her as Laney sat cross-legged on it while taming her hair, and followed her lead, gladly accepting her invitation. He dropped his shorts to the floor, having worn boxer briefs underneath, much to her surprise, and kicked them off to the side. He climbed in after her, laying down on his back, and pulled her into his side.

Laney quickly braided her long hair for the night like she tried to do every night, her thigh resting against Eric's side. "You might as well just sleep naked," Laney muttered to herself as she watched him.

"Oh, that can definitely be arranged," Eric replied, wiggling his eyebrows with a smirk on his lips, hearing her loud and clear. "I normally sleep naked, so consider this a compromise."

Laney cleared her throat sleepily, shaking away the thoughts that popped into her head at his revelation as she finished her braid.

Eric had gotten comfortable, placing his arms behind his head on the pillow as he admired her.

Once she was done, Laney scooted down the bed so she was laying down beside him. She felt Eric pull her even closer to him as she laid her head on his hard chest, draping her leg over his. She kissed his chest softly before giving into her exhaustion, finally, and closing her eyes.

Eric continued to watch her as he began running his fingers lightly over her exposed thigh that she had draped over his leg, noticing when her breathing evened out, and carefully wrapped his injured arm around her waist. He kept moving his fingers over her skin well after she was asleep, just liking the feel of her skin against his. He could definitely get used to her curling up against him to sleep every night.

Eric hadn't ever been in love before, so he had nothing to compare the experience to. He didn't know if he would classify his feelings for Laney as love, but he definitely felt something for the girl, whatever it was. The more he was around her, the more he felt a strong desire to stake his claim on her and never let her go.

At the very least, Eric felt the need to touch her or hold her whenever she was near him, but usually that need intensified by something she did that always seemed so insignificant when he thought about it later. He could be extremely patient with some things, and with Laney he had been more patient than he had ever been with any other girl, but this was probably the most impatient he had ever felt. Eric didn't know what to think when it came to their relationship, but he knew that Laney was most likely going to be the death of him, one way or another.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N** : Thank you for all the love for the last chapter and all the continued support! Here is the next chapter. I'm not sure when I'll be posting next, so I wanted to go ahead and get this one out today. I was planning on posting it, anyway, but it'll probably be mid-week next week before I post the next chapter because of personal reasons.

I hope you enjoy reading! Let me know what you think.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

As Laney first awoke, she smelled something very familiar, although she couldn't identify what it was. She opened one eye to glance at the clock staring back at her, noticing it was way too early to be thinking about getting up on her day off at just past eight. Laney rolled over in her bed, not quite fully awake and fully intent on enjoying her first of two days off. The familiar scent became stronger as she scooted closer to its source, feeling two muscular arms engulfing her small frame and pulling her closer into a hard body.

Laney still had yet to look at the man holding her, draping her leg over a much longer one than her own. She begin to feel light pecks on her face and neck, eliciting a satisfied moan from deep within her throat. In her sleepy haze, she began to run her leg over the one underneath hers, feeling the leg hair tickling her smooth skin.

Running her hand over what she knew now was a hard chest underneath her, Laney expected to feel more chest hair, but brushed off the thought. Without opening her eyes, she began to kiss the washboard chest lightly. Her foot and leg were now running up further on the leg underneath her until her knee felt something slightly hard. Her lips curled into a smirk and her hand moved to the bulge, running her fingers over it lightly.

"Feeling a bit frisky this morning, huh?" a deep voice that wasn't the one she had expected to hear asked after a small chuckle. "Not that I'm complaining."

Laney's eyes shot open to find that the man she was kissing and nearly dry-humping hadn't been the one she had thought. Looking up at brown eyes instead of the expected slate blue ones, she swallowed and felt her face turn beet red at the sight of Four looking back at her with a smirk on his lips. Laney thought hard for a few moments, briefly wondering if she had dreamt it all instead, because she could have sworn she had fallen asleep in Eric's arms the night before.

"Um, hi," Laney said a bit groggily, beginning to extricate herself from Four's half naked body now that she was aware of how close she was to him. She noticed Four was in only a pair of boxer briefs and Laney swallowed at the sight.

"Good morning to you, too, LJ," Four replied with a smile, pulling her body back into his. "Please don't stop on my account."

"Not that you're not a great sight to wake up to, but can I ask what you're doing in my bed?" Laney asked as Four resumed placing kisses down her neck. She felt the slight scruff on his face and chin tickle her skin. Now that Laney was more awake, she was sure that Eric had been beside her when she fell asleep.

"I had the day off, so I called the infirmary to find out your schedule and was told that you're off today, too. I thought we could spend the day together." Four made his way up her neck to her mouth, cutting off her reply.

Laney returned his kisses after a few moments, beginning to enjoy them. She felt that something was missing, but she kept following his lead. Four had definitely surprised her. She was usually the one that initiated sex when they did sleep together, but maybe he was just in the mood. Maybe he had learned a thing or two from their past hookups.

The last time the two had had sex was almost a year ago. Laney didn't know if Four had had any other lovers since then, but she guessed that he hadn't since she never saw him with any other girls, except the few he worked and were friends with. Laney figured they were close enough that he would have told her if had slept with anyone else. Not to mention the fact that Laney knew Four wasn't a one night stand kind of guy.

"Was this what you had in mind when you said we could spend the day together?" Laney asked, feeling Four boldly run his hand up her t-shirt and over her stomach. She swallowed at his gentle touch, trying to push the disappointment from her mind at wanting him to be more passionate.

"Not entirely, but if you want we can just spend all day in bed." Four rolled her over onto her back easily, climbing on top of her and pulling her shirt up as he did so, his lips moving to kiss her stomach.

"Is this you still trying to convince me to be with you?" Laney asked with a shudder, her hands going into his hair.

"Maybe. Is it working?" Four asked a bit huskily, kissing just below her breasts before removing her t-shirt.

"I'll let you know." Laney pulled him up to her lips, kissing him a little bit more passionately. She figured since Four was willing and so eager, and she honestly could use the brief distraction, she would indulge in him this once.

She felt his hands grasp her breasts, pinching her pierced nipples gently. A moan escaped her mouth as his tongue entered, slowly massaging her own. She felt his excitement against her thigh and ran her hand down his chest and stomach, sliding it into his boxer briefs. Grabbing his hardened length in her hand, she began to slowly stroke him.

"Shit, Laney," Four shuddered above her, holding himself up on his arms. He broke their kiss, his eyes intently watching her. "As amazing as that feels, you need to stop."

Laney smirked up at him, giving him a squeeze before removing her hand from his boxer briefs. She watched as he removed them, tossing them onto the floor. She stared at his erection standing at attention, licking her lips. Four wasn't the biggest Laney had ever had, but he was quite impressive in his own right. She began to play with her pierced nipples to tease not only Four, but also herself.

Four returned her smirk and removed her panties slowly, discarding them once they were off.

She watched as he climbed back up on top of her, spreading her legs to invite him in further. Laney bit her lip in anticipation as Four ran his fingers over her wet core. Kissing him once again, Laney felt as Four slid into her slowly. Their moans melded together, Laney arching up into him.

"Are you ok?" Four asked, kissing her neck. He knew it had been a while since she last had sex and wanted to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable.

Laney swallowed as she watched his look of concern. "I'm fine, Four. Please continue."

Once he was satisfied that she was fine, Four began to slowly thrust in and out of her. She urged him to speed up, and though he did, his movements were still on the gentle side. He began to massage her clit, adding a bit of pressure here and there. The stimulation of her sensitive bud normally helped drive her over the edge, though now she just found the act was doing next to nothing to satisfy her. It didn't take long before Four reached his climax, spilling his seed inside of her before falling spent beside her on the bed.

Laney watched as he pulled out of her and leaned down to kiss her softly after a few minutes.

"There will be more where that came from if you decide to be with me," Four said in a satisfied voice.

Laney caught her breath, lost in her thoughts as Four went into her bathroom to clean himself. Staring at the ceiling, Laney felt frustrated that she hadn't been able to get off. Normally, she had no trouble reaching an orgasm with Four, even if he was far less experienced than she was, but she wondered if the problem was that she secretly craved someone else that was a bit more dominant and rough than Four.

* * *

It was just after lunch, and Laney stood still with her hand over her chin and mouth, studying the task in front of her. She felt the sun beaming onto her back through the large window as she finally moved from that position. Eric sat in one of the chairs from his small table set in front of her as she looked over his hair. His blonde hair was damp from a recent shower and the longer hairs curled on top of his head. Laney wanted to make sure she understood how he wanted it before she began cutting.

"Are you going to the party tonight?" Eric asked, breaking their comfortable silence.

"Maybe, I don't know yet," Laney answered, trying to keep her concentration.

"Can I go?" Eric asked with a hopeful tone. He felt like a kid again who was asking his mom for permission to do something.

"No, you don't need to be drinking, and it's Dauntless. You never know what might happen at that party."

"Oh, come on, LJ. Just for a little while? I haven't taken a pain pill in a few days and I'm always responsible at public parties because I have an image to uphold," Eric plead with the girl. "Besides, the only time I've left this God forsaken place was to go to your apartment and back, to therapy with you in the training room, and a few times to the infirmary for x-rays. I'm dying here."

Grabbing a comb, Laney began to tame the longer hair on his head, planning on just trimming it to its normal length. Laney couldn't help but smirk at the grown man sitting in front of her. "Is Eric Coulter begging?"

"No," Eric retorted quickly. "But he is asking very nicely, which doesn't happen very often."

She couldn't help but let out a chuckle at him. He was still above admitting his weakness for anything. "No, you can't go. Now, quiet while I concentrate unless you want to end up bald."

Eric muttered under his breath only to receive a light smack on the back of the head. "Hey, are you assaulting and threatening your leader? Those are both very serious offenses, you know."

Laney could tell he was trying to be serious, but she could hear the humor in his voice. She shook her head. Who knew the cold, ruthless Dauntless leader actually had a sense of humor. "So, where did you run off to this morning?"

"I didn't want to, but I left a little after six. I had a meeting with Max to inform him of my progress. He said that he's going to give me a few more days, and then put me on desk duty while I build my strength back up. Hopefully before the end of the month, I'll be able to take on all of my normal duties before initiation begins," Eric explained.

"Just remember to keep things slow, Eric. It wouldn't take much to put you right back where you started if you overdo it," Laney warned.

"Yes, mother," Eric answered playfully before receiving another light smack to the head. He smirked to himself as the thought of finally being able to retaliate fully without the risk of hurting himself came to his mind.

Laney heard her phone buzz in her pants pocket a minute later, ignoring it until the noise became annoying. "Sorry, hold on."

"It's fine," Eric replied, picking at his black gym shorts that he had on.

"Ugh," Laney groaned and tossed her phone onto the sofa, not wanting to even look at it anymore.

"What is it?" Eric asked, turning his head a little to glance at her.

"Turn around," Laney instructed as Eric returned to his forward-facing position in the chair. "It's just Four."

"What does number boy want?"

Laney briefly thought of her encounter with Four that morning. It puzzled her that he had been so forward with her, but she knew that he must really want her to be with him. She was still doing her best not to be snippy from her unusual lack of a sexual release with him and his calling only reminded her of that fact. She should have been able to get off, if even just a little. Laney wondered briefly if Eric could fix that problem before shoving the thoughts from her mind.

She had left Four after her shower, feigning that she had to go into the infirmary after Eric had texted her. She hated lying to Four, but she knew he would want her to give him an answer soon, and Laney didn't know what to tell him at that point. While she knew Four was trying to protect her from Eric, she wondered if there wasn't more to his reasoning as to why he wanted to be with her so badly.

Laney picked up the electric razor that Eric had let her use, deciding on trimming the shorter hairs first. Turning the razor on, she began to buzz the shorter hairs on the sides and back of his head. "He keeps asking me if I've made up my mind about something he asked the other day."

"What did he ask you that you keep avoiding giving him an answer?" Eric asked curiously.

"He asked me to be with him," Laney answered, her attention still on his hair. She decided that it was better not to tell him about her and Four's bedroom activities that morning or any other time that he didn't already know about.

"What!?" Eric asked, moving his head to look back at her. "I know the guy is your friend, but where the hell did that come from?"

Laney saw as the razor cut through a chunk of Eric's longer hair on top from his movements before she could stop it, her mouth falling open at the sight for a moment in shock. "Uh." She immediately turned his head back around. "I don't know, it was out of the blue." Laney was seriously going to get killed for ruining his hair when he saw it.

"Do you want to be with him?" Eric asked plainly, none the wiser to what had just occurred. His voice was a bit quieter than normal.

"I don't know. I think of him as more of a brother. I haven't really thought about him that way since we fooled around just after initiation. I didn't even know he was interested in me." Laney kept buzzing the shorter hairs on Eric's head until she was finished with them, turning off the razor and setting it aside.

Eric was silent for a few minutes, thinking over what Laney had just said. He wondered if she was telling him the whole story and tried to recall if he had misread any of Four's signals when he had seen the two of them together before his accident.

Laney left him to his thoughts as she grabbed the scissors and began trying to salvage the damage that was done to his hair. She was glad that she was a fast runner because she just knew as soon as Eric laid eyes on the end result he was going to be beyond pissed.

"I bet he's just jealous that I'm getting all of your attention lately," Eric said finally, tired of wasting his energy thinking about his rival.

Laney looked over Eric's hair after having to cut a good bit of the longer pieces off. Thankfully, he appeared to be very distracted with what she had told him because he still seemed unaware of what had happened or how much hair Laney actually had to cut off. After deciding on being satisfied with the results, she grabbed his styling gel to spike the front a bit.

"Maybe so," Laney said with a shrug, not really agreeing or disagreeing with him. She removed the towel from around his neck and brushed off any fallen hairs that she saw.

"Are you done?" Eric asked, growing bored sitting there.

"Uh, yeah." Laney saw him start to stand up and immediately pushed him gently back down into the chair.

"What?" Eric asked, turning his head to look at her some.

Laney thought fast on her feet to try to prolong the inevitable, quickly moving her lips to his neck to place light kisses on his bare skin. She also ran her hands over the front of his tattooed neck and down his bare, muscular chest. She knew she was playing with deadly fire, but she hoped this distracted Eric enough to take his mind off his hair.

Eric felt her lips and hands on his skin, taking a minute to figure out what was happening. He swallowed and a moan escaped his lips at the sensation. "You better not be starting something you that don't intend to finish," Eric warned after a few moments, even though he didn't want her to stop.

Laney stopped and stood straight up, licking her lips at his lingering taste. "I'm sorry. I was just curious about how you tasted," Laney apologized, unable to think of another excuse.

"Don't be, but don't tease me, either." Eric forced all the dirty thoughts of what he wanted to do to her out of his head as he turned sideways in the chair to face her.

"You're in a good mood, right?" Laney asked after a moment of silence, biting the inside of her lip so her nervousness wasn't so obvious. She thought about kissing him to further distract him, but remembered his previous warning and thought better of it.

Inspecting his hair from the front, the end result actually didn't look bad on him, though she figured Eric could pull off most anything. Eric's hair wasn't that much different from his normal hairstyle, but the hair on top was a good bit shorter than he normally kept it. He wouldn't be able to style it the same way for a while.

"Uh, yeah, why?" Eric raised his pierced brow.

"Please remember that." Laney turned around, hiding her face from him and began gathering everything on the table. It wasn't long before she heard his heavy footsteps making their way to the guest bathroom at the front of the hall to check out his hair.

"Laney Jameson, what the hell did you do to my hair!?" Eric yelled at the sight of his shorter hair in the reflection a few moments later.

Laney dropped the things in her hands onto the table and turned around, darting to his door as quickly as possible. Just as she pulled the door open, it was quickly slammed shut in front of her, Eric's weight holding it closed with his hand. He soon pushed her against the door, his body fully against her back and hands on either side of her against the door to box her in.

"Why is my hair so short and not like I told you to cut it?" Eric asked against her ear, his voice calm once again but clearly icy.

Laney shuddered as his hot breath tickled her skin. "It was an accident, I swear," Laney said finally, swallowing. "You moved while I was cutting it."

"Hmm, what should we do about it?" Eric asked with a smirk on his lips. He could instantly see how much he already had an effect on her.

"You can go to the party tonight. Just don't overdo it or be stupid," Laney offered.

"What else?" Eric asked, not completely satisfied.

"I'll make it up to you somehow—whatever you want." Laney cringed at the thought, immediately regretting her statement.

"Hmm, that's more like it. I'll think of something good, and I'll be sure to collect later, so don't think I'm going to forget about it, either." He brushed his lips against her ear before moving away from her, releasing her from his hold. "We have to head to the training room now, anyway."

Laney let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. She dreaded what the ruthless leader would come up with for her to do to make up for the hair incident, but she didn't have much of a choice in the matter but to agree to whatever it was.

* * *

Laney felt the sweat begin to drip off her body from being in the hot training room for nearly an hour and a half. She was supervising as Eric did what he could to keep his body in shape without hurting himself in the process, moving to her own workouts once she was convinced that he was fine. Eric had hit the three-week mark in his recovery, and his doctor had cleared the leader for light exercise and therapy for his arm and ribs at the beginning of the week. Laney oversaw his recovery efforts since Eric refused to let anyone else do it. This was just their fourth workout together, and Eric was already progressing pretty well.

They normally met in the mornings after breakfast, but because Laney had the next few days off, Eric had cut her some slack so she could catch up on some sleep. He was now able to do more for himself and could move around more freely, but Laney still found herself stopping by his place nearly every meal, even if just for a few minutes at a time, to drop off his food and eat with him when she had the time. Eric had yet to start going to the dining hall to eat once again, enjoying her company too much.

Laney drank from her iced water bottle as she caught her breath. When Laney got in workout mode and had the time, she made sure she took full advantage of each station, just as they had been taught to do in initiation. She had just finished throwing knives at the targets in the main room and had made her way inside the smaller room that housed all the weights to check in on Eric's progress. She watched as Eric attempted to lift a barbell on a bench press, his muscles straining underneath the weights.

"Eric, you're going to hurt yourself. Put that down," Laney scolded, wiping her brow and making her way over to the man. She could easily see the trouble he had lifting it.

Eric dropped the barbell back onto the bench press, laying there with a mix of frustration and anger written on his face. He sat up, groaning and lifting his shirt to wipe the sweat dripping from his face. "I've benched around three hundred or more before and, now, I'm barely able to lift a hundred pounds."

Laney frowned, knowing that Eric worked out more than she did and detested being seen as weak by anyone. When he wasn't knee-deep in leadership duties or torturing initiates, he could be found in the training room for hours at a time. Laney had seen him in there many times prior to his accident, though the two had rarely conversed. "Give it another week or so. You can't just expect to go from zero to one-eighty overnight."

Eric sighed in defeat. "I know, it just sucks." Standing up, Eric removed his soaked t-shirt carefully so not to make any weird movements with his nearly fully healed ribs, leaving him in a pair of gray gym shorts that left little to the imagination.

Laney caught herself staring briefly at Eric's movements, quickly catching sight of the drops of sweat running down his chiseled abs. She also noticed the gym shorts hanging low on his hips that showed off the still prominent V-line and thick trail of hair that continued into his shorts, making it even more clear Eric was currently going commando. Laney quickly turned her head, swallowing deeply, to keep Eric from catching her staring at him. She swallowed and closed her mouth after realizing it was hanging open.

"How about a run to finish off the day?" Eric asked hopefully as they exited the weight room and made their way back into the main training room. He had noticed her staring, but decided not to comment on it or push the issue since his resolve was already close to breaking.

"No, you've probably done enough for today," Laney reasoned. "Plus, I don't want to embarrass you." At that moment, Laney knew she had said the wrong thing.

"Oh, really, you embarrass me?" Eric responded with a laugh. "I bet that I could beat you even while injured and not at full-strength."

He took in her appearance in a white tank top, black sports bra underneath that peaked out of her shirt at her neck and in the back, and black gym shorts that came just below her butt as she stretched on her toes a bit. He had had to keep himself from staring at her from the moment she had walked in. There were times while he watched her do her own workouts that he thought he was going to lose control and take her right there in the training room.

"Ok, fine. You're on," Laney challenged, her competitiveness taking over.

"Ten laps around the perimeter of the room. When you lose, you'll have to dance with me tonight at the party however many times I want."

"When I lose?" Laney snorted. "I think you're mistaken, buddy." Laney moved closer to him, making sure Eric knew she wasn't backing down. "Besides, that's a pathetic prize."

Eric arched his pierced eyebrow at her response and carefully crossed his bulky arms over his chest. "Pathetic? Hmm, how about we up the ante a bit, then?"

"Fine by me," Laney agreed, fully set on beating him.

"If I win," Eric began, his lips drawing up into a smirk. "You'll not only dance with me at the party whenever I ask, but I get to collect my payback from you butchering my hair whenever and however I want."

Laney rolled her eyes. "It really doesn't look bad, you big baby." Laney didn't miss the glare sent her way for the jab, but continued. "If I win, no party for you and I'll get some say on whatever payback you choose."

"That's it?" Eric asked with a snort. "Done."

"Nope, I wasn't done. Also, loser has to get a tattoo of the winner's choosing. Winner also gets to pick the location of said tattoo," Laney continued with a smirk.

"Oh, you're on, sweetheart," Eric agreed with a smirk of his own, holding out his hand.

Laney took his large hand and shook it, sealing their bet.

The two began their run minutes later, Eric quickly pulling ahead of Laney, who was pacing herself. As the two made their way around the training room, Laney felt confident that she had the race in the bag. Where Eric was tall and had a big build, Laney was shorter, at around five-five, with a smaller but toned frame. It wasn't until about lap five that Laney really began to run at full-speed. At that point, she had noticed Eric tiring and passed him easily, doing everything she could to hold back a taunt and stay focused.

Once the two had reached lap ten, they were both laboring slightly and had lost some momentum. Laney felt like she was stuck in initiation all over again, only in her head she could hear Eric barking at her to keep going, as if he had been her instructor and not a fellow initiate, that she had heard him do many times over the years. She was sweating profusely and everything she had on was sticking to her slick skin.

She saw Eric ahead of her and tried her best to catch up to him with about half of the room left to run. When she was even with him and running beside him, they both eyed each other and turned on the jets for the last leg of the race. Laney could tell his breathing was just as ragged as her own. She could see the endpoint and began to pull an inch ahead of Eric when a sharp pain shot up the back of her lower left leg. Gasping slightly, Laney kept trying to run the pain out until she fell to the floor in even more pain, immediately grabbing her calf.

Eric looked back at her after hearing her yelp in pain. He thought about finishing the race first before going to her, but ultimately decided on helping her in case she was badly hurt. The two weren't that far from their designated finish line, anyway. Eric slowed a bit and hurried back over to where she was on the floor.

"Are you ok? What is it?" Eric asked above her, wondering if there was anything he could even do to help her. He didn't dare try to squat to her level on the floor, lest he re-injure his nearly healed ribs.

"Cramp in my calf," Laney replied through gritted teeth.

"Give me your leg," Eric instructed, taking hold of it in his hands and lifted her leg higher. He began to stretch her leg out and massage her calf muscle, used to dealing with the injury. He had to pull her body up off the floor some when stretching her leg to compensate for his height.

After a few moments of Eric tending to her leg, Laney began to feel some relief. She let a few moans escape her mouth from the feeling of the muscle beginning to relax.

"That better?" Eric asked, staring down at her with worry and, surprisingly, avoiding looking down her shorts.

"Yes, much better," Laney replied, opening her eyes. "So, I guess you won."

Eric's concerned expression turned into a smug one, a small smirk slowly appearing on his lips. "Not to brag, but yes, I did. We'll have to do this again when I'm at full-strength."

Laney put her leg down slowly and sat up as Eric extended his hand down to her. She graciously took it as he pulled her up off the floor as if she weighed nothing. Putting weight on her leg cautiously, she noticed it was a bit stiff, but she could walk on it just fine. She noticed Eric watching her closely in case she needed his help walking. The two began walking out of the training room, Eric grabbing their stuff, and making their way to the apartment buildings.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the help." Laney could smell him beside her, surprised that he still smelled much like he normally did, even while drenched in sweat. She found the scent intoxicating.

"No problem. It was the least I could do."

"So, have you decided on what I have to do for losing the bet yet?" Laney asked after a moment of silence.

"Not all of it, but don't worry. I'll let you know when I do, which will probably be soon." Eric winked at her with a smirk.

Laney had a feeling she was going to regret ever agreeing to that bet in the first place.

"So, what time should I pick you up?" Eric asked when they reached her apartment door.

"How about I meet you there? I need to freshen up, obviously." Laney found her eyes lowering to Eric's glistening bare chest as he stood in front of her, leaning on her door. The party started in a few hours, but Laney knew she needed she needed to eat something, shower, make herself presentable, and try to find something to wear.

"Ok, sounds good," Eric agreed, knowing he too needed to shower and change. "Need any help?" Eric wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I'll text you when I get there," Laney said, typing her apartment code into her door. "No, I don't." Laney couldn't believe she had seriously considered his offer, as well as the thought of pulling him into her own apartment for a shower, however brief the thoughts had lasted.

"I'll be waiting," Eric replied with a smile, watching as Laney disappeared into her apartment before making his way to his own. He couldn't wait to see how Laney looked when she wasn't laid back or in work mode. He had a feeling that the night was going to be one he remembered for a while.

* * *

 **A/N** : I'm sure a lot of you didn't see Laney having sex with Four coming, and I'm sure you Leric fans are not thrilled about it. (Personally, I'm not really either. ;)) Laney is used to having sex with Four and the opportunity presented itself, so she took it. She's human, and she's kind of still being hesitant with her desires for a certain leader. Laney's never had any problems with Four satisfying her, so she's definitely frustrated about that, but the whole situation with Four right now confuses her, with good reason.

Also, the reason I left the scene like I did, without a lot of detail, was because I don't think Four would have had that many sexual experiences. In my mind, he's only slept with Laney and they've only done it a handful of times over the years when she wasn't in a relationship. I don't see him being like Eric and sleeping around. So, if Four comes off a little insensitive and slightly vanilla, that's why. What he knows about sex, he's learned from Laney, but I also don't see him being very adventurous or kinky in the bedroom, either. He's not intentionally being insensitive toward Laney's needs, he just doesn't really know enough about women to know that she didn't get off or wasn't satisfied. I hope that makes things more clear, if there was any confusion. If not, ignore this explanation, lol.

If you'd like to see a picture of Eric's new "butchered" haircut, you can view it in the album for this story. The link is now in my profile at the bottom.


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N** : Hi, guys! I'm so sorry for not posting when I said I would last week. My 26-year-old cousin was tragically killed nearly two weeks ago and, obviously, since then writing hasn't been the main thing on my mind. My family and I went up one day for his funeral and came back a few hours after the next day, which resulted in around a fourteen-hour trip in two days. I'm now recovered from the exhaustion, but it's still a bit raw, obviously. All of your love from the last chapter really brightened my spirits every time I opened my email. Thank you all so much for your continued support. :)

I first thought about waiting until I finished Chapter 12 before posting, but I've gotten a good start on it, so here's Chapter 10. I guess you could say this is part two of the previous chapter since it picks up just about where we left off last chapter, and that's why this chapter is on the shorter side. There is at least one more part to this chapter of the same night, and I hope to post it later this week.

If you'd like see Laney's outfit for the party, you can find it on my Polyvore, which is listed on my profile. Also, we meet Laney's infamous ex, Dean, in this chapter. You can find a photo of him in the story album that's also listed on my profile.

Be warned of possible triggers in this chapter. They're only very slight, but I still wanted to point them out before hand. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Laney checked her phone for what seemed like fiftieth time in a little over an hour, making sure she wasn't running too late to the party down in the Pit. She really didn't even know what the party was for, but she was in Dauntless—they didn't need a reason to throw a massive party. She stood barefoot in front of her bathroom mirror, finishing up her makeup and hair in just the t-shirt that had belonged to Eric and a lacy thong. Her makeup was subtle except for the charcoal and silver smokey eyes that stood out against her skin. Her long chocolate locks were braided into a faux hawk that went down the back of her head and had taken a good twenty-five minutes to style.

Laney normally wouldn't care so much about how she looked as long as she was pleased with the outcome, the exception being after working all day, but somehow tonight was different. Although Laney kept telling herself that she wanted to look good because she hadn't really gone out in a while, deep down she knew it was because she would be meeting up and hanging out with a certain leader. Knowing most of the countless women Eric had "dated" over the years, Laney somehow felt inadequate in comparison.

Shaking off her insecure thoughts, Laney put her makeup and hair supplies away, satisfied with the end results. She glanced at the clock once more and saw that it was already after nine. She dashed into her closet and grabbed the dress that she had in mind to wear, along with the heels she would pair with it. The dress was a short black mini-dress that hugged her body and hit her a few inches below her butt with a plunging neckline that was held together with a laced-up string. The back had two sets of lace-ups starting at her shoulder blades and curving down to her sides. The shoes she had decided on were black leather pumps with silver spikes and rhinestones on the toes.

Once Laney was dressed, she checked herself over in the mirror, put on her jewelry, and sprayed some perfume. Satisfied with her look, she checked her phone once again to see it was already 9:30 p.m. Grabbing a clutch purse, she put in all of the necessary items she might need and headed out the door. She sent Eric a text as she made her way to the elevators. She was not walking down all the stairs in her heels and breaking her neck.

 _ **Hey, where are you?**_

 _Just got to the Pit. You here, yet?_

 _ **On my way. I'll text you again when I get down there.**_

 _Sounds good._

Laney felt a rush of excitement run through her veins the closer she got to the Pit. She couldn't recall ever being this nervous about meeting a guy for a night out, and she was pretty sure that they were just hanging out as friends. It wasn't like Eric had asked her out or anything. When she didn't see Eric on the outskirts of the Pit, Laney made her way into the crowd to look further.

Shuffling through the hoards of people standing around drinking, dancing, and smoking, she sent a text to find out where Eric had wandered off to. The music was blaring so loudly that Laney wondered how anyone could still hear. On her way, Laney saw a waiter carrying a tray of drinks and grabbed one off, downing it to calm her nerves. After finishing the drink, she set the empty glass down on one of the few nearby tables. Checking her phone, she noticed Eric still hadn't returned her text. He probably ran into someone he knew, or it was possible the signal was interrupted, which happened quite frequently down that far underground.

Searching further through the crowd of already mostly drunk people that were grinding all over each other, Laney spotted Four heading her way. He gave her a huge smile as if he had been looking for her. Returning the smile, Laney went up to him, figuring she had been rude enough earlier when she ditched him after they had slept together. It wasn't that she had wanted to ditch her friend, she was just unsure about how to act around him.

"LJ, there you are," Four said, his toothy smile still on his face as he brought her into a tight hug that lasted longer than she expected.

When Four finally released her, Laney noticed that he had a nearly empty beer bottle in his hand, he was sweating slightly, and his eyes were nearly bloodshot. "Here I am," Laney responded, surmising that he was already hammered.

"I didn't know if you were coming or not," Four commented, his words slurring together. "I missed you today after you ran away from me."

Laney noticed that he actually looked good in his black button-down shirt that had the top two buttons undone and dark jeans. His scent of cologne wafted up into her nose and smelled amazing. Laney stopped herself, wondering when she began to look at and think of Four that way. "Yeah, I figured that I would have a little fun. It's been awhile." She left out the part about meeting Eric on purpose.

"Come dance with me." Four grabbed her hand, tugging Laney behind him to the dance floor before she could say no.

Laney knew right then he was definitely drunk because sober Four never really liked dancing. It wasn't long before he stopped in a less crowded spot and turned to face her. He pulled her close to his body, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Four, how much have you had to drink?" Laney asked a bit concerned while dancing with him.

"Not that much," Four replied, scrunching his face as if he were thinking. "Maybe about seven drinks. Why?" Four began running his hand down Laney's ass suddenly, taking her by complete surprise.

She grabbed his hand and brought it back up to her waist with his other one. "Four, please don't," Laney started before he began grinding into her. She swallowed at finding him semi-aroused against her leg.

"Why not? You liked it this morning when I had my way with you," Four commented smugly with a smirk, obviously unaware of how loud he was being.

"Ok, come on, we're taking you home," Laney said sternly, feeling her face turn red when several people around them turned to look at her after hearing Four's comment. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the Pit.

Four suddenly pulled Laney back to him, kissing her heatedly on the lips and running his hands down her body. Laney hesitated, but found herself returning the kiss. When she broke the kiss, the smirk was still plastered onto his lips.

Laney sighed, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "Come on, Four, please. Let's just go to your place," Laney pleaded as she began to pull him back out of the Pit once again.

Four followed her finally as they made their way up to his apartment. The elevator ride was uncomfortable from Four's insistence on continuing what he had started in the Pit, while Laney tried to keep him at bay without hurting his feelings. She also tried to hold back the urge to purposefully smack him. She had had to deal with her ex, Dean, drunk a lot, throwing himself all over her and being overly possessive, and she had hated it then. She still found that she hated it now, even though she knew Four most likely had no idea what he was doing.

As they finally reached Four's place, Laney punched in his code and yanked him inside when the door unlocked. She knew it was only a matter of time before Four passed out, having drank with him many times in the past over the years. Four sat on his bed, watching her as she pulled out a pair of sweat pants from his dresser.

Placing them on the bed beside him, Laney began to unbutton his shirt to help him get changed. She didn't notice at first as Four brazenly ran his hand up underneath her dress until he gripped her thigh, running his fingers over her panties. Laney gasped at the sudden contact and acted out of instinct, slapping her friend across the face harder than she meant to.

Laney watched Four hold his face as he removed his hand from her. She sighed, knowing she needed to leave now. "Four, I'm sorry, I have to go," Laney said, grabbing her purse she had set down by his bed and quickly retreated to the door. She didn't bother stopping at his numerous calls of her name, nearly slamming the door behind her and running as fast as she could in her heels to the elevator.

Laney spent the time in the elevator trying to collect herself, sighing at the drunk antics of her friend. She knew he would most likely regret it all in the morning. As she made her way to the Pit once more, she checked her phone to give herself a distraction. She saw a text from Eric that was sent twenty minutes ago.

 _Just getting your text. Bad signal, I guess. Text me again when you get this._

Laney quickly typed a reply in hopes that Eric was somewhere where he would receive the text.

 _ **I'm on my way back to the Pit. Had to take a drunk Four home.**_

Laney waited a few minutes before diving back into the throng of people after not receiving an answer. She checked a few of the bars to see if he might be at any of them, but had no luck finding the blonde leader. She ordered a couple shots at one of the bars, her night already heading south fast.

Continuing to look through the drunk crowd, Laney heard someone calling her name. She turned to find none other than her ex, Dean, leaning against the wall with a beer in his hand. Upon discovering who it was, Laney swallowed. She hadn't run into Dean in a while, and the last time she had, she had feigned having to be somewhere. Their breakup hadn't been on great terms since he had cheated on her, but he hadn't wanted to end the relationship.

"Hey, Lane, how are you doing?" Dean asked with a smile that she remembered all too well. Laney found herself cringing at the familiar nickname he had always called her.

"I'm doing well. You?" Laney asked politely. She noticed he hadn't really changed a lot in looks since their split; his dark brown hair spiked up in its usual style, muscles still bulging showing off his numerous tattoos, and a slight beard on his face. Dean's build fell somewhere between Four's leaner one and Eric's bigger, bulkier one, but was closer to Four's.

"Doing great. You're looking good," Dean commented, his eyes traveling up and down her body a few times, obviously checking her out.

Laney felt a sudden wave of nausea come over her and felt really gross at the thought of him flirting with her. "Um, thanks," Laney responded, playing with her fingers. She noticed Dean making his way closer to her.

"You know, we should catch up. It's been a while, huh?" Dean asked, wrapping his arm around her back.

"Um, yeah, ok. I'm supposed to be meeting someone, but haven't seen them, so I can spare a few minutes." Laney knew she would regret it, but she would do anything to get him to leave her alone.

Dean lead her off to one of the many alcoves on the perimeter of the Pit away from the crowds where it was quieter. The further Dean took her from the crowd of people, the more nervous Laney got. When they stopped, she realized they were close to the chasm, the roar of the water in the distance flooding into her ears, but they were far enough away so they wouldn't fall in.

Laney crossed her arms over her chest, making sure to keep a safe distance from Dean as he leaned against the wall once again. She watched as he pulled a cigarette and a lighter from his jeans pocket, lighting it and sticking it into his mouth. Laney had always thought smoking was disgusting and had detested being around Dean when he smoked, which was a common habit of his, because of the smell alone.

"What have you been up to, Lane?" Dean asked, taking a drag from his cigarette and releasing the smoke from the side of his mouth to blow it away from her.

"Not much, I've been working a lot lately," Laney said, her eyes gazing off at the people in the distance.

"Yeah, same here. I heard you got stuck taking care of the devil himself." Dean commented before taking another drag. "Surprised you're still alive to tell about it."

Laney looked at Dean once again. "I didn't get stuck doing it, I wanted to. Eric's not that bad once you get to know him, but he's the way he is for a reason. Would you really want a leader of Dauntless to be all nice and cuddly?"

Dean snorted at her comment. "No, I guess not, but he's still an asshole."

Laney shrugged, wanting to change the subject. "Yeah, he can be." _But so can you_ , she finished in her head.

"So, I saw Four all over you earlier. Are you and the Stiff a thing now?" Dean asked nosily. He had always been jealous of Laney and Four's friendship, making no effort to hide that fact.

Laney swallowed at the thought of anyone else she knew seeing Four all over her, but shook off the thought. "He hasn't been a Stiff in five years, so I don't know why the name hasn't dropped yet. He's asked me to be with him, but no, we're not together."

"Well, if you're not together, you sure have grown a lot closer if you're sleeping with him. Do you do casual relationships now?" He flicked his spent cigarette away, moving closer to her.

Laney heard the jealousy in Dean's voice immediately, narrowing her eyes. "It's not like that, Dean, and no, I don't. Four's asked me to be with him and the sex is just something we do occasionally."

"Hmm, bummer." Dean paused a minute. "You know, I miss you, Lane." Dean pulled Laney into him, keeping her hands in his. "I want you back."

"What?" Laney asked flabbergasted. Before she could stop him, her back hit the concrete wall as he pinned her to it.

"It's been almost two years, Lane. I've grown up since we broke up, and I haven't found another girl like you. We could start over." Dean ran his hands up her sides.

Laney thought she was going to be sick at his words, his smoky breath not helping. She tried pushing him away, finding quickly that he was still much stronger than she was. She then heard the sound of a rip and noticed that Dean had torn the skirt of her dress easily, his hand snaking up to her panties.

"Dean, please stop," Laney pleaded, feeling him continue.

"Oh, no. You're mine, Laney. You'll always be mine." Dean whispered into her ear. "I can do what I damn well please with you."

Laney thought quickly as Dean began to kiss her neck. She stomped her foot down onto his as hard as she could and managed to get away from the wall. It wasn't long before Dean grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. Laney turned around quickly before he could grab her other hand and went to punch him in the face. Instead of hitting Dean, she felt and saw him duck quickly out the way, her hand colliding full-force into the rock wall behind him.

All Laney felt was white, hot pain searing up her arm from the impact of the blow. A scream that she didn't even know she had let out was released from her lips, tears immediately springing into her eyes. Time seemed to stop for a moment until she gathered herself. Holding her throbbing hand to her chest with her other hand, she turned to see Dean about to retaliate with a smirk on his face. Her mouth dropped momentarily.

In a second, Dean was suddenly knocked down onto the floor. There in front of her stood Eric, anger coming off him in waves and an icy stare trained on Dean's limp figure. Laney watched as Eric kicked Dean to keep him on the ground longer before moving over to her.

"Hey, are you ok?" Eric asked, looking over her with concern, his anger now gone. He quickly removed his t-shirt and put it on her to help cover her up. "Did he touch or hurt you?"

"Yeah, I think so. He tore my dress and fondled me a little, and then I tried to punch him. He moved and my fist the hit the wall instead. I think my hand might be broken," Laney explained, her body shaking a bit.

"Let's get you to the infirmary."

* * *

Laney sat on one of the beds as Jenna examined her left hand while they waited for the x-rays, trying not to cry out in pain from her hand being touched. Eric stood nearby still shirtless with his arms crossed over his chest, clearly lost in thought. While waiting on Jenna to finish with another patient minutes before, Laney had observed Eric quietly. She noticed he hadn't spoken a word to her since they had left the Pit and could tell he had something on his mind other than her safety, but wasn't sure what it was. She had a feeling that once they left the infirmary and were alone, he would let her know what was on his mind, whether or not she wanted to hear it.

Trevor brought in a tablet and pulled up Laney's x-ray slides on the screen that had been taken before she was brought to the bed, showing Jenna the results with a few taps on the screen. "Yep, you were right, LJ. You've broken a couple of bones in your hand."

"Oh, great," Laney commented with a sigh.

She looked over the x-rays on the tablet in front of her, instantly seeing the multiple breaks in her metacarpals and phalanges, meaning that she had broken three fingers—her index, middle, and ring fingers—along with two bones below her index and middle fingers in her hand. She was surprised with how hard she had hit the wall that it had only broken five bones in total. She noticed as Eric looked over the x-rays from beside her without a word.

"We'll need to set it in a cast, but, first, we need to wait until the swelling goes down. For now, we'll put on a brace for you to wear to keep the bones stabilized in the meantime," Jenna explained as if Laney wasn't familiar with the procedure.

* * *

Laney looked down at the uncomfortable temporary brace on her hand quietly as the cool wind blew around her. Eric had walked her back home and dug out some clothes from her dresser for her to change into. He had still yet to say much to her, and Laney knew it was only a matter of time. Eric left her to make sure Dean understood to leave her alone if he wanted to continue to live, promising that he would be back soon.

Her night had gone to shit ever since she had first entered the Pit and wished she could just undo it all. Laney wanted to go back to earlier in the day when she agreed to let Eric go to the party in the first place. Her hand was still hurting immensely, even after taking a few pills for the pain. Her hand was already black and blue.

Looking out over the railing she was currently leaning on, Laney sighed while deep in thought about the night's events. She had changed into a long-sleeve hooded t-shirt and some gym pants just after Eric had left and made her way to the pier, leaving him a note saying she needed some fresh air. She had washed off all her makeup and her hair was now in a loose ponytail. She thought it might have been difficult jumping on and off the train without the use of her hand, but the task hadn't been as hard as she thought.

Standing up straight, Laney made her way over to the bench that she had come to know well as an Erudite dependent after she lost her mom, using the little bit of light she had thought to bring with her that was clipped to her shirt. She sat down and pulled her legs up, hugging them against her. It had been a while since she had come out there to the abandoned pier, memories from doing so frequently as a child flooding into her mind. Glancing up at the sky, she saw that it was cloudy and the stars were hidden from view.

Laney didn't know what she was feeling at the moment, but she hadn't felt so lost and unsure of her life in ages. Now that she was out there all alone, Laney wished she had just stayed in her apartment and waited for Eric to return, but she made no moves to get up from her spot on the bench, even when she realized she heard thunder off in the distance.

It wasn't long before Laney heard heavy footsteps that seemed to be moving in a hurry coming towards her. She waited until they were closer to her location before she even bothered to turn her head toward the sounds. She saw the familiar face with the light beaming up around him from the jacket that he wore. Laney somehow felt a sudden calm wash over her as she heard her name called out by the familiar deep voice. It was then she realized how much she just wanted to forget about everything that had happened in the last few hours and be held.

* * *

So, the party didn't turn out quite as well as Laney and Eric were hoping. As I said before, this chapter is continued in the next one. We'll definitely get more of Eric's side of the night's events, so we'll have that to look forward to.


	12. Chapter 11

Here I am with part two of the previous chapter. I'm so sorry that it took so long to upload; I was trying to finish the next chapter before I posted this one. I am now writing Chapter 13, so it shouldn't be as long between updates. I think this chapter will make up for it, though, for multiple reasons. One, this is the longest chapter, so far, and, two, well, I'll let you figure that one out. ;)

I know I say this every time, but I mean it. Thank you guys so much for your support! I really don't think I would be able to write this as efficiently without all of your continued kind words, follows, and favorites. Every one is greatly appreciated! Also, thanks to MyhusbandsaPRICK for another story shout out! Go read **_The Sound of Silence_** if you aren't already! You won't be disappointed.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

The wind had picked up even more by the time Eric had reached Laney on the bench on the abandoned pier. It was blowing just enough to make Laney shiver. As soon as she saw the young leader, Laney wondered how he had found her so quickly. He had a determined but far away look on his face that she couldn't read. She noticed he had retrieved his shirt from her apartment and a jacket before coming out there after her. It didn't take her long to get up from the bench to stand on her feet in front of him.

"What are you doing out here?" Eric asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I just needed to think and get some air," Laney responded, looking at the ground instead of Eric.

"We need to get back to the compound, now. There's a bad storm approaching." Eric's clipped voice didn't give anything away.

Laney watched him as he took her hand and began to lead her swiftly back toward the train tracks. Whatever had been bothering him earlier was still present. "Eric, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, let's go."

"Eric," Laney began before being cut off.

"I said, let's go," Eric replied a bit more forcefully.

Laney managed to break free from his grasp and stopped walking. "Eric, what the hell is up? You've barely spoken five sentences to me since we left the party. That's not like you." She watched as he turned around to face her as a light drizzle began to fall down.

"What's going on between you and Four?" Eric asked, his tone as cold as ice.

"What? I don't-" Laney began before Eric cut her off.

"Don't lie to me, Laney. I've told you that I hate being lied to." Eric's cold tone had risen a few octaves, his face showing a little bit of distaste but not much else.

Laney swallowed, pushing some stray hairs behind her ear. "You saw that between Four and I earlier?" Laney already knew the answer before she had asked the question by the look on Eric's face.

"How long have you been fucking Four behind my back?" Eric asked in a low, icy tone. "You told me that he asked you to be with him. You never said you were fucking him."

"Eric, it's was only one time," Laney began, noticing Eric's fists were now clenched by his sides and turning white.

"You really expect me to believe that after he was practically fucking you in the Pit in front of everyone?" Eric replied menacingly.

Laney felt her face drop, feeling like she'd been caught doing something wrong. She willed the tears welling up in her eyes to keep from falling. "I swear, Eric. He was drunk at the party, but that's no excuse. I didn't want him all over me like that. He tried to feel me up when we got back to his place, then I slapped him and left." Laney paused a moment, taking a deep breath as the events played back in her mind.

Eric stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, his teeth chewing on his bottom lip as he continued to listen to Laney.

"This morning, I thought it was you in my bed, at first. I didn't set out to have sex with him, he was just there in next to nothing. Next thing I know, he's seducing me. He was acting different and very forward this morning. I should have stopped him, but I didn't. It hasn't happened in a year, I promise." Laney met his gaze to try to further plead her case.

A prominent scowl was now settled on Eric's face. "Well, just because he was offering doesn't mean you had to go through with it. You've had no problems stopping me when I've gone too far." Eric paused a minute, letting her explanation sink in. "You mean he's the last guy you've slept with? You made it seem like you hadn't done anything sexually with him in four or five years."

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't know that I would..." Laney paused and looked off into the darkness off the pier, stopping herself before she said something she wasn't ready to say or even process. Tears streamed down her face beyond her control and Laney quickly wiped them away. "I don't know his motives, Eric, except that he's trying to keep me away from you. If there's more to it than that, I couldn't tell you what it is. I think he's trying to be a good friend and that he means well, but maybe I'm wrong."

Laney ran her hands through her hair, not really sure if her words were correct or not. She thought she knew Four as well as anyone could with his closed-off nature, but maybe she didn't know him as well as she had thought.

Eric sighed heavily, rubbing his face. "Well, I don't like the guy, but it makes sense that the asshole could have feelings for you; you're the only single girl he hangs around on a regular basis, and I'm guessing that you've been his only lover." Eric paused in thought. "But then again, you said he's trying to keep you away from me. I wouldn't put it past him to try to do this just piss me off." Eric's face went back to his usual blank mask. "I don't trust the guy."

"I know you don't," Laney said simply, crossing her arms over her chest carefully, her gaze back on the ground.

"I'm sure by now he knows of my interest in you, and I find it very perplexing that all of a sudden he wants you now after all these years. Why now? You said you've only been in a couple of relationships, and really only one for more than a year. If he was interested, he's had multiple opportunities to tell you before now," Eric argued, trying to wrap his head around the situation.

"It's news to me if he does feel anything for me. I wasn't lying earlier when I told you that I think of Four as a brother and that all of this was all out of the blue." Laney looked at her feet, feeling his penetrating gaze locked on her. "He thinks you're going to hurt me or throw me away after you get tired of me like you do every other girl."

Eric looked at her in understanding, his anger diminishing slightly. He couldn't really blame Laney for not wanting to get involved with him if his past was any indication of how he conducted himself. He watched her, noticing her insecurity behind her brown eyes.

Laney felt as the soft raindrops begin to fall harder on them, but continued to ignore them. She turned her head to look out into the dark surroundings beyond the pier once again, getting lost in thought. The thunder was moving closer to them by the minute, but Laney couldn't find it inside her to care, even if their clothes were getting wetter by the second.

It wasn't long before Eric had moved even closer to her, gripping her chin surprisingly gently, and turned her head to face him with his fingers. "Laney, of all the girls you've seen me with, have I ever stuck around and waited for them to be ready to have sex with me?" Eric asked, waiting on an answer.

"Not that I know of," Laney replied with shake of her head. His closeness was a bit overwhelming. It didn't help that his intoxicating scent was wafting heavily into her nose and his eyes were staring so deeply into her own as if he were staring into her soul. She was a bit surprised to find his voice calm and lacking its usual coldness.

"I admit, in the beginning, I may have planned on trying to get you in my bed for the hell of it because, shit, you're beautiful, and I saw you as a challenge. But then I got to know you and saw that you fought me no matter what I threw at you. You've put up with me a lot longer than anyone else would have and have done things for me that no one else would have bothered to do, all without wanting anything in return."

"How do I know you're not still doing that?" Laney asked, looking at him with a questioning look.

"If I was playing you, I would have convinced you to sleep with me one way or another, or I would have since lost interest. If Four was smarter, he would have known that." Eric ran his rough fingers over her cheek, caressing her skin softly.

Laney swallowed at his touch, her body and mood calming almost instantly. Thoughts she had had of him earlier in the training room and their walk back to her place came rushing back into her mind. The words left her mouth before she could even think about stopping them. "Would it make any difference if I said that I didn't get off?"

Eric looked at her, raising his pierced eyebrow. "You mean, Four didn't..." Eric began before pausing.

Laney shook her head. "I was too distracted. I couldn't even get myself off with stimulation, which normally always works. I've never had that problem before. I don't think Four realized that I didn't even orgasm." Laney bit her lip momentarily, pausing a few seconds. "I think that someone else might have been able to rectify to that problem, if circumstances had been different."

Eric's slate blue eyes instantly glued to hers in a heavy, penetrating stare, understanding her meaning completely.

Laney met his gaze head on, as if confirming his unvoiced question.

A loud booming sounded above them, followed by a huge slash of lightning darting across the plain beside them on the pier. The sky opened up as if a million buckets full of water were being dumped on them at once. The rain fell heavily, breaking up their moment. Eric looked around, quickly deciding that the train was too far to try to run to for cover.

"We need to get to the clock tower," Eric yelled out over the noise of the pounding rain, grabbing her hand and running off toward the abandoned building.

Laney did her best to keep up with him, trying to see in the downpour of water. The wind wasn't helping matters, either. If it wasn't for Eric holding onto her hand, she didn't know if she'd be able to see him well enough to keep up with him. Their feet sunk into the already deep puddles of water collecting on the ground, their boots making splashing sounds with every step they took. Everything Laney was wearing was clinging to her skin.

After minutes of running and many claps of thunder and bolts of lightning lighting up their path every few minutes, Eric led them underneath the dilapidated, rusty carousel. "We'll have to stay under here. The storm's too bad right now, and the clock tower's too far away."

Laney felt water dripping down every surface of her body, wiping her face with her hand to try to dry it some. She watched as the rain continued to pour all around their temporary shelter. Laney looked at Eric finally, noticing his hair was curling ever so slightly on top even though she had just cut it earlier. She noticed him surveying the weather surrounding them as if he could will it to stop at any moment.

"We might as well get comfortable, I don't think it's going to let up anytime soon." Laney noticed as Eric turned his head toward her before she began making her way to the inner round wall in the middle of the carousel.

Large full-length mirrors with cracks and smudges of dirt and grime that had collected over the years lined the panels of the middle of the carousel. The lights on either side of each mirror no longer worked, most of the bulbs cracked or gone completely, leaving their only source of light in the two small lights that they had attached to their clothes that the initiates used during the war games. Most of the colorful paint that had once covered the carousel was now faded with bits and pieces still remaining on the theme park ride, the colors since faded into muted, dull hues. Some of the animals and a couple of sleighs placed throughout the ride that had been seats for people to ride on remained, but most were no longer in one piece, making it hard to identify what the animal had originally been.

Laney leaned against one of the still few solid mirrors that wasn't cracked on the inner round wall as she crossed her arms, her back against the cool surface. The two had remained silent for several minutes, the only sound that could be heard was the rain and thunder and their feet moving across the rusted metal floor of the ride. Her eyes watched the leader as he paced slowly around the ride, getting antsy at being stuck in one spot.

"I never thanked you for saving me from Dean earlier," Laney said, breaking the awkward silence. She glanced over at Eric to find him leaning against one of the poles just out of the reach of the pouring rain.

"Don't mention it," Eric replied, gazing out into the rain.

"I should have never even talked him in the first place. He always takes advantage of the situation, and I always let him." Laney sighed, looking at her feet and placing her hands into her soaked pockets slowly. "I'm so stupid."

Eric turned his gaze toward her. "No, you're not. Don't ever say that, Laney."

Laney shook her head. "Yes, I am. No matter how many times the snake hurts me, he always manages to pull me back in somehow."

"Hey, you loved him, and Dean can be pretty persuasive."

"No, it's my fault it happened. If the whole thing with Four hadn't happened, you probably would have met up with me then," Laney tried reasoning.

Eric gripped the pole in his hand so hard that he thought the rusted metal would break under the pressure. "Yes, I was planning on it when I saw you, but Four shouldn't have put his fucking hands on you at all, drunk or not. He's supposed to be one of your closest friends."

Laney could hear the obvious malice in Eric's voice as he spoke. "I should have told him to stop before it even got that far. I knew he was drunk."

"Laney, none of what happened tonight was your fault. End of story. You didn't ask to get groped or attacked by anyone," Eric emphasized. "Besides, it happened. There's no use speculating on what if or what might have been if you had done something differently."

Laney nodded, a lone tear running down her cheek once again. She wiped it away, willing herself not to cry. "What did you say to Dean when you found him?"

"I not-so-politely reminded him that not only was assault of any kind a serious offense in Dauntless and that it could get him kicked out, I also told him if he ever came near or touched you again, I would kill him myself," Eric replied with a scowl on his face, his body rigid.

"Thank you," Laney responded, glancing at him briefly.

"You're welcome," Eric responded in a much calmer voice. Laney had no idea how he went from one mood to the next so quickly.

The two stood quietly, listening to the falling rain and the storm. Laney thought about how she had wanted the night to go, picturing she and Eric drinking, laughing, and teasing each other. Running her uninjured hand over the brace on her left hand, she sighed, thoughts of Eric taking over her mind once again.

"I didn't plan on you, you know," Laney said, surprised she had said the words aloud.

Eric turned his head to face her, his face in its usual blank expression, waiting on her to expand on her revelation.

"My life was perfectly fine like it was when I wasn't aware of how miserable and pathetic it was." Laney looked down at her shoes, but felt his gaze never leaving her. "You were supposed to be my patient, nothing else."

"Maybe your life wasn't as great as you chalked it up to be in your mind," Eric said, making his way over to her away from the edge of the ride.

"You made me realize how lonely I really am." Laney felt Eric's heavy footsteps coming closer, but still kept her gaze on the floor.

Eric stopped in front of her, standing at a slight distance from her. "Your biggest fear is being alone, Laney. You've worked so hard to fill the void that that asshole Dean left in your life when he broke your heart after all the other losers you dated couldn't fill it. You of all people should know that's not healthy at all."

"What's your excuse, then?" Laney asked him, glancing at him briefly. "You live a pretty lonely life yourself, if I'm not mistaken, even if you have had a multitude of women during your tenure."

"Touché." Eric paused, a small smile forming on his lips briefly before wiping it off his face. "I don't know," Eric admitted. "I don't know that I really have a good reason."

Laney pulled her hooded shirt away repeatedly from her skin, trying to dry the fabric a bit, but stopped when she found it was futile.

"What are you try to say, LJ?" Eric asked bluntly after a few moments of silence when he saw that Laney wasn't offering anything more. He found himself moving closer to her.

"I don't know what I'm saying," Laney responded half-heartedly.

"Bullshit," Eric spat. "I think you know exactly what you're saying." He moved so he was in front her, stopping to leave an inch between them.

Laney looked up at his looming presence, his muscular body towering over her. She bit her lip, words escaping her.

Eric reached out and cupped her cheek, a bit rougher than before but still somewhat gently. "When you said that you thought that someone else might be able to rectify your problem if things had been different—did you mean me?" Eric's voice had a small glimmer of hope in it.

Laney swallowed and nodded, feeling once again overwhelmed by the leader's close proximity. "It didn't help that I wanted jump your bones in the training room this afternoon and have for the last week or so." Laney gasped as Eric closed the distance between them in a second, pinning her to the wall. Their eyes met in a heavy stare, his face only inches from hers.

"Again, what are you saying, LJ?" Eric asked, his voice determined but calm.

Laney sighed as Eric ran his hand down her neck slowly. "You scare the hell out of me, Eric. Not because of who you are, but because of what you make me feel."

"What do I make you feel?" Eric asked barely above a whisper.

"I-I can't explain it. I've never felt it before," Laney admitted with a swallow.

"What about number boy?" Eric asked with a twinge of jealousy.

"I don't want him, Eric," Laney answered honestly. "He doesn't set every inch of my skin on fire with just one touch; he doesn't make me wet by uttering one word that's meant as a promise; he isn't in my dreams that wake me up all hot and bothered; he doesn't make me tremble with just one look."

"If you don't want Four, what do you want, LJ?" Eric asked, brushing his lips ever so softly over her skin.

Laney closed her eyes at feeling his lips brush over her neck. "You," Laney answered. "I want you."

Eric leaned into her more, closing his eyes momentarily to savor her words, grabbing her thigh in a near-bruising grip and wrapping her leg around his hip. He began to slowly grind against her core to tease her. "Are you sure that's what you want? Because once I start, I'm not going to be able stop."

Laney felt Eric's erection rub her in just the right place against her core through the wet fabric of their pants, making her whimper. His words made her shudder, knowing he meant them. Before she could even think about saying no, the words Eric had been waiting to hear left her mouth. "Yes, I'm sure."

Before the words had fully left her mouth, Eric had crashed his lips onto hers. His hand went into her wet hair, pulling it out of its ponytail and tossed the hair tie onto the floor. He ran his hands up her shirt and soaked skin, enjoying the feel of how soft it was.

Laney shuddered as Eric's warm hands traveled up her sides, her lips still molded to his. She gasped when she felt one of them quickly make its way around the front and into her pants and panties, flicking her clit with his fingers and his tongue invading her mouth.

"Eric," Laney moaned loudly, feeling even more wetness pool between her legs.

Eric smirked at her reaction as he slid two fingers into her core, circling her clit with his thumb. "Did you mean stimulation like this?"

Laney moaned in response, nodding profusely in confirmation.

"You're so tight and wet," Eric commented huskily into her ear as he added another finger and began to thrust his fingers in and out of her, curling them regularly to further stimulate her. "I'll definitely fix that."

Laney shuddered at his words and felt like her legs were going to give out from the pleasure that Eric was giving her. She felt him drop her leg and begin to knead her breast, pinching her pierced nipple. "Eric, please," Laney begged, needing more.

He smirked with pride at how well he could please her. "Almost there, LJ. You need to come for me, first." He trailed his mouth down her neck to her pulse point, nipping and sucking on her smooth skin. "I need you good and wet for me."

Laney shuddered as she felt herself nearing climax, nodding in frustration. She soon felt her shirt being lifted and Eric's mouth latch onto the nipple of her other breast, the cool air of the stormy night hitting her skin. She felt him nibbling and biting with his teeth and teasing it with his tongue, all the while keeping his pace with his fingers. It only took a few more seconds before Laney felt her core tighten around Eric's fingers, a loud moan escaping her lips.

Eric helped her ride out her orgasm and removed his fingers from her. He brought his hand up to his lips to lick his fingers, groaning at the taste of her wetness meeting his tongue.

Laney caught her breath and watched him through heavy-lidded eyes as he licked off the remnants of her orgasm. Feeling bold, Laney reached out and clutched Eric's massive erection through his jeans, squeezing and massaging it. She then began to undo his jeans before Eric swiftly grabbed her hands in his.

Eric smirked at her nerve, moving his mouth against her ear. "Uh uh, ladies first."

Laney shuddered and returned his smirk as he stepped back to watch her. Laney began to remove her wet clothes, Eric helping her when they wanted to stick to her skin. When she was naked, she felt the cool air hit her body, wrapping her arms around her to try to stay warm.

Eric quickly undressed, seeing how cold Laney was becoming. He saw her eyes widen when he dropped his boxer briefs, releasing his hardened length that was aching to be touched. Eric pinned her against the wall once again, both now completely naked. His mouth claimed hers again within seconds.

"Eric, we can't do this right here. I don't want you to hurt yourself trying to hold me up," Laney said between kisses.

Eric looked at her. "What do you suggest then?"

Laney looked around them briefly. "The sleigh."

Eric turned to look at what Laney was suggesting and nodded, grabbing their discarded shirts from the floor. He quickly went over to the sleigh with two rows of seats, Laney following behind him, and decided on the front one that had more room. He draped one of the shirts over the back of the of the seat to keep him from getting friction burn on his back and placed the other one on the seat cover. Surprisingly, the vinyl seat cover on that particular sleigh wasn't badly cracked, but he wasn't taking any chances.

Laney watched as Eric sat down on the seat, turning his heated gaze toward her. She marveled at his exquisite, massive frame that nearly took up most of the seat. Water still dripped down his fair skin and blonde hair, running down over every dip and peak of muscle.

"Come here," Eric said with a smirk, motioning to her with his index finger as his eyes raked over her body.

Laney obeyed and moved to the sleigh so that she was standing between Eric's open legs. She was quickly pulled against him, his lips finding hers once again as his hands explored her body. Laney pulled herself onto his lap so she was straddling him, moaning at the feel of his length pushing at her entrance. She reached between them and began stroking him, varying her speed and grip as she went.

"Fuck, LJ." Eric growled at her touch, wanting so bad to sheath himself within her. His rough grip on her hips tightened even more.

Laney kissed down his tattooed neck, sucking on the skin and nibbling on it with her teeth, moaning at the feeling of her pebbled, pierced nipples brushing over his hard, muscular chest.

"Shit, I don't have a condom." Eric leaned his head back on the back of the sleigh, obviously frustrated at himself.

Laney smirked a bit. "You mean you don't carry some on you at all times?"

Eric looked at her, not at all pleased with her teasing. "No, I don't."

"Well, at least I know you weren't expecting to get lucky tonight." Laney looked at him with a serious expression, no longer teasing him.

"Yeah, I thought about it briefly, but then decided against it. I figured you weren't ready for that, and we were just hanging out as friends," Eric replied honestly. He sighed, laying his head on her chest. "My plan was to go back to my place in case you did happen to want to."

"Eric, it's fine. I'm a nurse." Laney chuckled a little and ran her hands through his short, wet hair, her lips forming a small smile. "I take the birth control serum shot every three months even if I'm not—I wasn't—sexually active."

"Oh, yes," Eric replied with a sigh of relief, looking up at her and kissing her softly. "My girl is smart and sexy."

"Your girl, huh?" Laney asked with a smirk, cocking her brow.

"Just shut up and fuck me," Eric replied with a smirk of his own, smacking her ass.

Laney jumped at the quick shot of pain, and then held herself up above him, leaning on the back of the seat with her forearm well below her injured hand. Grabbing Eric's length in her other hand, she looked at him. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Damn it, LJ, yes. You're not going to hurt me," Eric pleaded as his gaze locked onto hers. "Just try not to lean on your hand."

Laney nodded as she lined him up with her entrance. Sliding down onto him slowly, Laney tossed her head back at the feel of him stretching her. "Fuck." She bit her lip. The feeling wasn't exactly painful, but it was uncomfortable at the very least. Eric had to be the biggest she had had.

Eric pulled her down onto him the rest of the way impatiently to try to quicken her discomfort, eliciting loud moans from both of them. When he had filled her to the hilt, Laney arched her back. She quickly switched hands on the back of the seat, gripping the seat so hard her fist was turning white.

"Holy fuck, you feel so good, LJ," Eric whispered against her ear, kissing down her neck while she adjusted to his size.

Laney ran her injured hand slowly over his damp hair, trying her best not to move her fingers too much. "God, you're huge, but you feel so damn good."

"I told you I'd stretch you out," Eric whispered into her ear huskily.

Laney shuddered and began to roll her hips, feeling as Eric met her halfway as he thrust up into her. She bit her lip as she felt Eric losing patience and began guiding her movements. Laney already felt a slight burn in her legs at the pace Eric was insisting they go. She let out a loud moan when he quickly turned her around on his lap while still inside her so her back was to him. She leaned back against his chest as he gripped her thighs roughly. Pulling her legs up, she placed her feet on top of his knees and began to move her hips up and down. The different angle had his hard length hitting her in just the right spot.

When Eric was satisfied with their pace, he began sucking on her neck, watching intently when he noticed Laney playing with her hard nipples. He smirked at the sight. He moved up to her ear once again. "I want to see you touch yourself while I fuck your tight, little pussy."

Laying her head back on his shoulder, her eyes closing, Laney did as he said and began massaging her throbbing clit while they continued to meet each others' thrusts. She could already feel the sheen of sweat on her skin.

"That's my good girl," Eric replied breathlessly, just as he had in her dreams many times. "I like watching you touch your clit while I fuck you."

Laney moaned at the sound, spreading her legs even more and setting her feet onto the seat on either side of Eric's thighs to give him a better angle. Her legs were aching from how far they were spread, but she continued to meet his hard thrusts. She heard him growl in approval as he slid down closer to the edge of the seat, changing angles.

Eric began pinching her hard nipples once again, his mouth biting the skin on her neck. He moved his healing arm around her and placed his large hand over her own at her center, helping to massage her bundle of nerves. He smirked when he felt her buck her hips at the new sensation of his calloused fingers on her once again. Eric had to admit that he wasn't going at his normal, preferred pace and was letting Laney do most of the work, but their pace was enough to satisfy him, for now. He didn't want to push it.

When Laney felt Eric's hand join hers on her clit, she thought she was going to come undone right then and there. She felt her walls beginning to clench around his thick member, her body beginning to shake beyond her control. She was close and knew that her orgasm was going to be a powerful one. All of their sexual tension that had built up over the last three weeks would be releasing.

He could tell Laney was close when he felt her walls close around him. He began to add more pressure on her clit, flicking her piercing every now and then, and smirked when she screamed as her release tore through her. He kept his pace, helping her ride out her orgasm, while trying to achieve his own. He knew it wouldn't be long before he was joining her.

Though nearly completely spent, Laney tried her best to keep her pace up with Eric. She turned her head to the side and met his lips in a heated kiss, grabbing his chin and opening her mouth to allow his tongue to meld with hers. Soon, she let him slip out of her, hearing a frustrated protest from Eric, as she stood up a bit and turned herself around so she was facing him once again, grabbing him and quickly sliding back onto his pulsing dick that was already dripping.

Grabbing his shoulders, making sure not to lean too much on her injured hand, Laney began to ride him once again. Eric did his best, gripping her hips even harder, to guide her on him as he met her movements once again.

"Fuck, LJ," Eric growled, knowing he was probably going to regret his fast movements later, but at the moment he couldn't care less.

Laney kissed down Eric's muscular chest slowly, licking and nipping at his skin. She flicked her tongue over his nipples repeatedly to further tease him, feeling his fingers return to her sensitive clit to massage her. She felt her third orgasm building quickly within her, arching her back.

"Can you come for me again, baby?" Eric whispered huskily into her ear, nibbling on her earlobe.

"Shit." Laney felt her walls clench around him suddenly at his words, her release much more torrid than her previous two. She dug her nails into his skin, eliciting a groan from Eric from the pain.

Eric's movements became more erratic as he thrust as hard as he could at the moment, feeling a white hot, searing sensation run through his body. Her walls fitting around him like a glove, squeezing him in the most delicious way, only further helped him come undone. He threw his head back, groaning loudly in ecstasy.

Laney felt as Eric's warmth shot into her, mixing with her own. As Eric stilled beneath her from exhaustion, his body obviously spent, and wrapped his tattooed arms around her to bring her closer, Laney kissed his chest softly. She laid her head on his chest, sighing contentedly.

The two sat there like that for what seemed like hours, just reveling in the act they had just shared while drifting in and out of sleep. They hadn't even noticed that the harsh rain and storm had stopped completely, water only dripping from the structures that still remained on the abandoned pier. They both played their rendezvous over in their heads, trying not to think about anything beyond their current reality. They would figure things out later and just hold each other for now, enjoying the feel of the other against them.

"How did you know where to find me?" Laney asked after a long, comfortable silence. She continued to play with his sandy blonde chest hairs.

Eric shifted underneath her a bit, pulling her closer to him on his lap. "When I was young myself, I used to see this little girl come out here quite regularly when I got tired of listening to my parents arguing. I'd watch her from my perch in the clock tower, wondering what she was doing sitting out here all by herself just watching the stars. I thought many times about going over to her, but never did."

Laney looked up at him in surprise. "Really?"

Eric nodded in confirmation. "I didn't figure out that it was you until we got to Dauntless that first day of initiation."

"How come you've never said anything?" Laney asked curiously.

Eric shrugged. "I guess it never came up, and we weren't close for very long before I screwed things up." He paused, running his fingers down her spine. "I never wanted to hurt you, LJ."

"Why did you?" Laney asked, chewing on her bottom lip. She hated rehashing old wounds, but she was curious to find out the truth.

"Max; I did it because of Max. I guess he highly underestimated you because of your size. I don't think anyone thought that you would make it past the first stage, much less that you would rank fourth." Eric paused, smiling a bit at the memories of her surprising everyone, including him. "He told me if I didn't stop being friends with you, I would never amount to anything in Dauntless and become Factionless. My chances of becoming a leader and amounting to anything would be non-existent. I hated doing it, but at the time, nothing was more important than coming in first and proving myself to him and the rest of Dauntless."

Laney frowned at his revelation. "You hurt me on purpose." It wasn't a question and she noticed Eric's lips form a frown. "I've always wondered why."

"I did, but I hated doing it. I'm sorry, Laney, I never wanted to hurt you at all."

"I understand, Eric. It was a long time ago," Laney reassured him. "We're both different people, now."

"When you said before that I never came to visit you in the infirmary—you were wrong." Eric looked away from her for a minute before looking back at her.

"I never saw you."

"You didn't see me because I snuck in there that night, making sure no one saw me. By then, I knew where all of the cameras were in the halls. I avoided them easily," Eric explained.

"So, you risked being caught sneaking out of the dorms to come see me?" Laney asked, biting her lip.

"Yes, I did. I had to make sure you were okay, even though I was supposed to no longer care. Back then, they didn't have any nurses in the infirmary at night, so I stayed in there while you slept. I left a few hours before we were woken up for training. Thankfully, you were only there for two nights, and the second night, I was in there with you because of Four."

"Yeah, I know. I had to bust my ass to make up for the two days that I had lost in training. Amar did his best to help me out, and so did Four."

Eric grimaced at the memories of their initiation, but quickly shoved the animosity towards Four out of his mind. "I didn't show it, but I was proud of you. I always knew you would prove everyone wrong."

Laney looked at him, trying to keep the smile from breaking out on her lips. "Are you just saying that to try to butter me up some more?"

"No, I mean it. If I didn't, I wouldn't bother saying it." Eric caressed her smooth cheek as his gaze got lost in her own, pushing some damp strands of hair behind her ears.

Laney stared back into his eyes, not even noticing her skin becoming chilled from the cool wind blowing around them. She kissed his lips softly as he nipped at her bottom lip.

Eric felt as her body began to shiver against his. "Are you cold?"

"No, not really," Laney replied, still shivering.

Eric rubbed her arms. "We should get back to the compound, anyway, in case the storm returns. The temperature is only going to drop the later it gets."

Laney reluctantly agreed and moved off him, searching for her discarded clothes. As she got dressed, she felt an ache in her body that she wasn't sorry to have. She looked over to find Eric doing the same.

When the two were dressed in their damp clothes once again, the two made their way to the train tracks to catch the next train. Laney leaned against Eric's side, his arm around her waist almost possessively.

When they were close to the train, Laney leaned her head against his chest.

"You know, I didn't plan on you, either," Eric commented, breaking their comfortable silence.

"Oh, really?" Laney asked knowingly with sarcasm lacing her voice.

Eric chuckled at her comment. "No, I sure didn't, but you're hard to forget."

"I always make guys work for it," Laney replied with a shrug.

"You mean, you just made me work for it," Eric corrected her with a glance at her.

"Well, yeah," Laney admitted with a smirk. "But you liked every bit of it, anyway."

Eric leaned down beside her ear. "You better be lucky I like you. I've killed guys for less."

Laney snorted at him. "I'm sure you have."

* * *

Inspiration for this chapter is from a rain kiss scene on _**The Vampire Diaries**_ and a rainy sex scene from the movie, _**9 1/2 Weeks**_. Look those scenes up on YouTube if you want to see them, although the latter is a bit explicit. The idea was initially intended for a possible future one-shot, but I decided to use it for this story instead, and I like how it turned out.


	13. Chapter 12

Hey guys! I know, it's been a week and a half since my last update. Blame my slight writer's block on the next chapter. It was being difficult and wouldn't come to me as easily as some of the other chapters have. I finally worked through the block and finished it. Thank you guys so much for love you continue to show this story! I really, really appreciate it. :)

I can tell you that this story is starting to wind down. I have outlined the remaining chapters, and unless I think of something else to add to warrant more, there are only around five or six more chapters, including an epilogue. Don't take that number as finite because it may change as I start writing out the last few chapters.

I'm not upset by this or anything, but I wanted to address it, anyway. I'm glad it was brought to my attention. It was pointed out to me that some of Eric's and Laney's actions and movements are inconsistent with their current injuries and there was some screw-ups with editing on my part. As for the errors, I am going to go back through and re-read each chapter to try to fix anything that I may have missed before. As for the character's actions, I admit that was an error on my part. I try to be mindful of the plot, but I sometimes forget my own obstacles that I've set in the story for the characters. Also, remember that Eric was given a healing serum, so his injuries are healing at a more rapid rate than they would normally or even in modern times. It hasn't been mentioned in a while, so I know it's easy to forget about. As for Laney's inconsistencies, those were my bad. I will go back and fix them at some point.

Now, onto what you really came here for. ;) We pick up the morning after the events of the last chapter. I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

Birds could be heard chirping just outside the window where the rays of the sun peaked through the side of the curtain. Shifting slightly, Laney felt something wrapped around her, warmth radiating over every inch of her body. Opening her eyes a bit, she quickly closed them once again to block the sun shining in her face. Groaning at the intrusion, she draped her arm over her eyes to block out all the light.

Once Laney had woken up a bit more, she realized that she really needed to pee. As memories of the previous morning flooded into her mind, Laney glanced behind her to confirm that it was still Eric who had his arms wrapped around her. Once she laid eyes on Eric, she began to try detach herself from his death grip. With careful movements, she somehow managed to disentangle herself without waking Eric's sleeping form.

Looking around the room, Laney realized that she wasn't in her apartment and remembered they had decided to sleep at Eric's for once. She remembered that Eric had lent her one of his shirts and a pair of his boxer briefs to sleep in since her clothes were wet. She had promptly hung her clothes up in the bathroom along with his to dry. The shirt fit her like the others she had worn of his—like a dress—and she had to roll the underwear several times to get them to even stay on her small waist.

Laney's legs and hips were sore and there was an ache between her legs that she knew was a result from their activities on the carousel the night before. A smile curled up on her lips at the memory. Eric had definitely vaulted himself to the top of her list of lovers. Laney could now easily see why all the women seemed to flock to him and wondered why she had waited so long to give into his pursuits.

Although the pain in her hand wasn't as bad as the night before, the pain was still there. Just from looking at her hand with the brace still on it, she could tell that the swelling had gone down some overnight. Laney padded into the bathroom, no longer wasting any time, and relieved herself.

When she returned from the bathroom, Eric was still sleeping, but had since turned on to his back, the sheets barely covering him below the waist. Laney smiled at the sight of the leader looking peaceful for once as she made her way back to the warm bed. Sliding back in the bed, Laney returned to her previous spot beside Eric, laying on her side against him.

Laney watched Eric sleep, playing with his chest hair and running her fingers along the paths of his maze tattoos. She took in his magnificent body before her, running her fingers up his arms over his biceps and defined abs, and found that unlike his rough, calloused hands and hard exterior, his skin was soft to the touch.

Eric must have been worn out from their activities the night before because he was usually awake in the early hours of the morning, and the thought that she had been the cause of his exhaustion excited her in a way that she hadn't been in a long time. When Laney grew tired of waiting on him to stir from his slumber, she began placing light kisses on Eric's muscular chest. All she got from him were several sleepy groans in return.

With a smirk, Laney pulled the covers off him and straddled him on her knees. She began running her hands down his sides slowly and kissing down his chest starting at his leadership tattoos, licking and sucking on his skin as she went. By the time Laney had reached the waistband of his boxer briefs, despite his many groans at her actions, Eric had still not awoken. It was obvious that there was a part of him that was awake, whether he realized it or not. Laney smirked even more when she noticed the large bulge in his boxer briefs.

With more determination, Laney reached for the waistband of his underwear and began to tug them down slowly. Despite her being sore, she still wanted an encore of what they had done the night before, craving him to fill her once again. When Eric's erection was mostly uncovered, Laney grabbed him ever so gently to free him completely from the confines of his underwear. She began to lick up and down his shaft expertly, giving his head extra attention, when Eric began to squirm beneath her.

As soon as she took him into her mouth, dragging her teeth lightly over his head, Eric's eyes shot wide open. When he realized what Laney was doing seconds later, he knew he had to stop her before he lost all self-control and undid all the healing of his ribs by having his way with her none too gently. Reaching down, he flipped them over easily so that he was on top, being mindful of her broken hand. His lips were on hers a moment later, his tongue invading her awaiting mouth.

"Mm, good morning," Laney said between kisses. She began to grind against his length that she realized was against her core, the only barrier being the thin cotton fabric of boxer briefs that she wore.

Eric had retaliation on his mind as he snaked his hand between them and into her already wet underwear, receiving an appreciative moan from the woman on top of him. His fingers slipped past her wet folds and tugged on one of her piercings gently before slipping a pair of fingers into her momentarily. He removed them shortly after to tease her, a smirk forming on his face when she began to whimper at his actions.

"A good morning it is, indeed," Eric replied, kissing down Laney's chin and neck. "See, it's not fair to tease people."

Laney moaned as Eric continued kissing and nipping at her neck, lifting her chin to give him better access. "Oh, but it's so much fun."

Eric chuckled briefly against her skin, slipping his hands up her shirt to run his fingers over her skin. "You should know that the last girl that pulled a stunt like that on me didn't fair too well afterward." His voice was back to its serious tone before he had finished the sentence. "I really don't like being woken up unless it's an emergency, but I guess I'll make an exception for you."

Laney looked at him, biting her lip while trying to decide if she should take his warning as a threat or a challenge. "How long ago was that?"

"A few years ago," Eric answered dismissively.

"I thought you didn't sleep with your women?" Laney questioned with wonder, her brow raised.

"I didn't. It had been a while since I'd had any, at the time, because I was busy with my first time overseeing initiation, among many other things. We had fallen asleep afterwards, and she wanted a second round, which I rarely give out. Again, that doesn't apply to you." He shifted above her, obvious agitation building in his voice. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to fuck me again," Laney whispered seductively as she buried her nose into his neck.

Eric felt his body stiffen at her response. "Well, aren't you brave and eager?"

"I am when I know what I want." Laney smirked, running her hand down his chest, kissing it every so often.

"You are going to be the death of me, woman." Eric smirked. "Not that that would be a bad way to go, but you're my nurse. You're supposed to be mindful of situations that might hinder my healing progress—not trying to find ways to kill me."

"Fine, tell me that you don't want it, and I'll leave you alone," Laney countered with a challenging stare.

"Oh, it's not that I don't want it, LJ. Trust me. I just think that I don't need to overdo it."

Laney looked up at him, her mood changing quickly into one of worry. "Are you hurting; did I hurt you last night?" She began inspecting him thoroughly with her eyes, even though if he was hurt his pain wouldn't be visible.

Eric gripped her chin in his hand to halt her movements, making her look at him in the eyes. "Hey, LJ, I'm fine. I didn't mean to make you think that you'd hurt me because you didn't."

"Are you sure? I tried not to hurt you last night, and I should have made you go easier on yourself."

"Laney, I promise you, I'm great. Yes, I'm sore because I was a bit overzealous last night and shouldn't have been, especially with my ribs tender. It's also been a while since I've moved that way." Eric caressed her cheek, meeting her worried gaze, laying beside her and pulling her to him. "I don't regret it, though, because I honestly haven't felt this good in years."

"Well, if you're sure."

"I'm more than sure." Eric kissed Laney, quickly deepening the kiss by dominating her tongue with his.

Laney broke the kiss a few moments later in need of air. She laid her head on his chest as her breathing slowed, listening to his heartbeat. "I'll try to be a good girl and let you recover some."

"Thank you," Eric replied, playing with her braid. "How are you feeling?"

"If you're asking me subtly were you any good and was I satisfied afterward—hell yes to both." Laney paused with a slight smirk before continuing. "If you're referring to my hand, it still hurts, but not as badly, and the swelling seems to have gone down some."

Eric huffed at her response, but obviously wasn't angry about it. "Really, like you had any doubts about how good I was or that you wouldn't be completely satisfied by this," Eric replied arrogantly, motioning to his killer physique.

Laney rolled her at eyes at Eric's cockiness shining through.

"But, really, LJ, how are you doing? Not just with your hand. You went through a lot last night." Eric's face was now one of concern, quickly changing his emotions once again.

"I'll be fine, Eric. It's not like either one got very far. I'm lucky because most victims don't have people coming to their rescue." Laney refused to dwell on what could have happened twice during the previous night.

"I don't care about anyone else, I care about you and your wellbeing," Eric attested.

"I know. Really, I'm fine, Eric," Laney answered honestly.

"Good, we'll head by infirmary before we go to the training room."

"Ok, but I don't think the swelling has gone down enough in my hand for them to put a cast on it yet."

"Regardless, we'll let them check it out." Eric wasn't budging on the close eye he was keeping on Laney, whether she fought him on it or not.

Laney nodded, knowing he didn't want to discuss the topic any further, and changed the subject. "So, have you decided what I have to do for you as payback and what and where my next tattoo will be yet?" Laney found herself curious at the thought.

"Well, since we didn't get to dance any last night, I'll have to think of something else for you to do. As for the payback, I'll let you know when I want it. The tattoo—yes, I know what I want you to get and where. No, I'm not telling you."

Laney poked out her bottom lip, feeling a bit playful once again as she sat up and began to let her hair down out of the braid.

"Nope, don't even start that. That doesn't work on me," Eric commented with a hint of a smile, wrapping his arms around her to bring her even closer.

Laney stopped with her antics and laid her head back down on his chest, realizing he was most likely right. "Who knew that badass Eric liked to cuddle?"

Eric poked her side, eliciting a squeal from Laney. "I said that I never let women sleep in my bed, I never said that I didn't like cuddling. But usually I don't stick around long enough to get the opportunity, or want to for that matter. Most of my encounters were a means to an end, and that's all. Again, you don't fall under my normal category."

"How lucky for me," Laney smirked and kissed his neck softly.

Eric groaned from the sensation of her lips on his neck, his teeth biting his bottom lip. He was doing all he could to keep himself in check, and at the rate Laney kept teasing him, he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off of her. He couldn't wait until he was completely healthy once again.

"Are you really just a big softy underneath all that tough exterior, Mr. Coulter?" Laney asked with a hint of a smile.

"No, I'm not, Miss Jameson. I'm just in a really good mood for one of the few times in several weeks, so don't get used to it." Eric playfully bit her neck before getting up and heading to the bathroom.

Laney watched intently as Eric sauntered into the bathroom, his muscles rippling with his every move. A smile broke out on Laney's face before she dropped back on to the bed, sighing with complete contentment.

* * *

After Laney and Eric had finally made their way out of bed, they ate breakfast in Eric's apartment, enjoying each other's company before they headed to the infirmary. Shea checked out Laney's hand, and as Laney had predicted, Shea advised that they wait another day or so before setting it in a cast to allow the swelling to go down a bit more.

Just before the two were about to head to the training room early, Max had called Eric to his office for something, so Laney had stuck around the infirmary to chat with Shea a few minutes until Eric finished. It wasn't even thirty minutes later that Eric texted her, telling her to meet him just outside the Pit.

Laney made her way to the spot Eric wanted them to meet, passing by only a handful of other Dauntless members since most were already at work at ten in the morning. Her good mood from earlier still remained, and she was looking forward to spending more time with Eric on her last day off for a while. Although she had a broken hand, Laney didn't plan on missing work any longer than she had to. She briefly thought about what they would get into during training today since Eric knew she wanted him as much he wanted her. She knew they had to be careful, but it wouldn't hurt either one a bit to fantasize.

When she was just about to the edge of the Pit, Laney heard someone calling her name from behind her. The voice was familiar, and Laney immediately knew it belonged to Four. Stopping in her tracks after a moment and waiting briefly, Laney finally turned to face her best friend. Four had to have seen her walking alone on one of the monitors in the control room because she noticed his headset hanging around his neck. She noticed that he looked exhausted and hung over, dark spots sticking out underneath his eyes and a thicker beard on his face than usual. She also saw the hint of a bruise on his cheek where she had slapped him.

Laney crossed her arms, making sure to be careful of her hand, and looked around them to make sure no one was nearby, especially Eric. They were close enough to her and Eric's agreed meeting spot that Eric could easily see and hear their entire exchange should he arrive within the next few minutes. Laney knew that she and Four didn't have long before Eric would reach the spot from Max's office. She cringed at the thought of what Eric would do seeing Four near her now after his drunken display the previous night.

"LJ, I really need to talk to you," Four said, guilt and remorse fully clear in his eyes. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"Yeah, a few." Laney wanted to get this over as soon as possible. She leaned against the rock wall on the edge of the empty hallway, her arms still crossed in a defensive position.

Four didn't come any closer, leaving a good bit of distance between them. "Look, Laney, I'm so sorry about last night. I only remember bits and pieces of what I did, and I know that I deserve worse than a slap across the face."

Laney sighed, her anger fading. She knew that Four wouldn't intentionally hurt her. "I forgive you, Four. You know I can't stay mad at you."

Four watched her, a hint of a smile appearing on his lips, and noticed the brace on her hand as she slowly uncrossed her arms. "Did I do that?" Four asked, quickly rushing over to her and lifting her arm up by the elbow so he could inspect her injured hand.

"No, you didn't. I ran into Dean last night," Laney began, turning her eyes away from Four.

"Did he hurt you?" Four asked, his eyebrows knitting together in a scowl. Four knew very well of Dean's reputation and had despised the snake ever since he started looking Laney's way. He released her arm, turning his steady gaze to her.

"Not really. He ripped my dress and groped me, although a lot more roughly than you did. He tried to force himself on me, and I fought back. He saw it coming and I punched the wall. He would have done worse, but Eric found us and had the bastard down on the floor before he could," Laney explained, glancing toward the direction she knew Eric would be coming from most any minute.

"Well, I guess our fearless leader is good for some things," Four muttered.

"Four, why were you even drunk to begin with? I mean, I know you drink, but you were completely smashed. You rarely drink that much. Not to mention, everything else—your efforts to keep me away from Eric, your forwardness in the bedroom. Out of all the times that we've had sex, I've initiated it every time." Laney paused, seeing Four look away from her. "You have feelings for me, don't you?"

Four looked at Laney briefly before looking away again at the floor. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Four, I know you better than that." Laney gave her friend a knowing look.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe, LJ. You always do this; you always find a guy that doesn't deserve you and treats you like shit, but yet you end up with them, anyway. You would think that after so many failed attempts at relationships with the same type of guys, you'd realize that," Four replied, keeping his face as blank as possible.

"This is not just about Eric." Laney didn't phrase it as a question, knowing there was more reasoning behind Four's efforts. "If you've had feelings for me, why have you waited all this time to tell me? I'm not a mind reader, Four. Eric figured it out before I did, and I'm one of your best friends."

"Fine, do you want me to say that I love you? Ok, I love you; I have since I met you. I knew from the very first day of initiation that you were going to become someone amazing. I could see the passion and fire in your brown eyes." He paused, swallowing. "I've always been there for you, Laney, hoping that one day you might actually want more than just sex and friendship from me. But I continue to watch you fall for the wrong guy, time after time, and then wait until you need me to help pick you back up again."

Laney frowned and sighed. "Four, if you would have told me how you felt then, things may have turned out differently for us."

Four ran his hands through his hair. "It would have never made a difference, Laney, and you know that. You've never felt anything more for me than the love of a friend."

"How do you know that I never could have loved you like you love me?" Laney asked. "You never gave me the chance. Obviously, I have some attraction towards you or I wouldn't keep sleeping with you."

"Well, I guess we'll never know," Four replied in almost a whisper. "It's already obvious that you have someone else on your skewed radar that's just going to rip your heart out."

Laney sighed, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. "You don't know that, Four. You don't know Eric like I do. There's more to him than what he lets people see."

"Exactly. You think you know him so well? I'm sure you don't know him half as well as you think you do. He's showing you what you want to see. It happens every time with him," Four retorts, anger etched on his face.

"Four, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself, and Eric's seen that many times. He admitted to me that, at first, he was trying to get into my pants, but he's not anymore. He has genuine feelings for me, Four," Laney explained, trying to calm down. "And I like him."

"Trusting him is the biggest mistake you've ever made, and that's saying something since you've been with the douchebag that is Dean. Eric Coulter doesn't have feelings, and if you think he does or ever will, you're an idiot." Four's face was now full of anger. "You've let him wrap you around his finger—you're now one of his little play things—and it's going to bite you in the ass, LJ."

Laney stared at her friend dumbfounded, feeling as if he had just slapped her across the face.

"You mind saying all that again to my face, Four?"

The two looked up to find Eric leaning against the large doorway, a blank expression on his features. Laney didn't miss the rage in his eyes, balled fists, and muscles rigid from Four's comments. She didn't know how much of their conversation he had heard, but, apparently, he had heard enough.

Eric slowly made his way over to them, placing himself just in front of Laney's small form in front of Four. "Come on, say it again, Four."

Four was silent, but his stare was unyielding on Eric.

"I see you still don't have the balls to stand up to me and haven't since initiation. You readily trash me behind my back, but yet you clam up as soon as I'm around." Eric paused, moving closer to Four, glaring at the man as if Four were his prey.

"You're not worth my time anymore, Eric," Four retorted.

"Oh, really? You sure have spent a lot of your time trying to make me out to be the bad guy to Laney then, and, in turn, trying to make yourself look better than me so she'll pick you instead." Eric paused, a hint of a sadistic smirk on his lips. "Well, she picked me, and I made her orgasm multiple times last night; something that you couldn't even do once after she had abstained from sex for a year."

"Eric," Laney said, placing her hand on his arm, trying to calm him.

"What is he talking about, Laney?" Four asked, looking at his friend, his eyes glaring at her hold on his enemy.

Laney hesitated before speaking and sighed. "Yesterday, when we had sex, I didn't get off, Four. You didn't even know that I didn't. It was almost like you didn't care."

"Of course, I care, Laney," Four argued. "When have I ever given you the impression that I don't care about you?"

"It's not that the Stiff didn't try to get you off, Laney, it's that he doesn't know enough to have figured it out," Eric replied smugly.

"Yeah, maybe I didn't, but that's because I haven't fucked the entire female population of Dauntless, either," Four retorted bitingly.

Eric didn't even hesitate before he punched Four square in the face.

Laney watched the scene unfold before her as Four felt of his busted lip and bloody nose, blood coating his fingers and sliding down his chin. He returned Eric's menacing glare, and before Laney could even think to move between them, the two were in a full-fledged fight. She couldn't let them fight over her and tried her best to step between them against her better judgment.

When Laney saw the first opportunity, she quickly forced herself between the two crazed men, her hands on both of their solid chests, trying to hold them back from the other. With rage clouding both men's eyes, Laney felt blindsided a moment later as a punch meant for Eric landed against her face, the force quickly knocking her body back into Eric's solid one. She did her best to move away from them both off to the side, holding her cheek that Four's punch had hit quite brutally. She felt blood and tears dripping onto her hand that had instinctively went to her face after the blow.

"Nice going, Tobias," Eric stated accusingly as he made his way over to Laney. He tried to inspect Laney's injury by moving her hand, only to have her resist him and step away. "LJ, come on, I need to see the extent of your injury." He noticed Four had come to her aid as well, ignoring his comment.

"LJ, I am so sorry," Four apologized emphatically.

Laney looked at Eric swallowing, finally moving her hand. She wiped the tears streaming down her face. Her face was throbbing where Four's fist had collided with her cheek. She knew her face would look lovely in the morning.

Eric looked over the wound on Laney's face, noticing a cut lining her cheekbone. The bleeding gash looked none too pleasant, but he didn't think that it was deep enough to need stitches. He felt of her cheek gently with his fingers, trying not to hurt her any further. He picked up the hem of his t-shirt and wiped some of the blood from her face. "It looks like it's just a flesh wound. We'll get you some ice and a bandage to put on it."

Laney nodded, wiping the blood on her hand off on her tank top.

"Laney," Four started before being cut off.

"Four, I think you need to go back to work. You've made your opinion perfectly clear, and I'm done listening to you badmouth Eric." Laney walked off into the Pit, wanting to be as far away as possible.

Eric sneered at Four before quickly following after Laney.


	14. Chapter 13

I'm finally making another update. I'm sorry, guys. I know that I'm not updating this story as much as I was at the beginning, but I still like staying a chapter ahead. I've found it works better for me. I guess it keeps me on task, or it's just my quirky weirdness. Who knows? Also, you can blame my muse for me starting a Jai Courtney one-shot that won't leave my head while trying to finish this chapter. The next chapter is finished, but again, I won't post it until I'm done with the following chapter.

Regardless of my updates, thank you guys for your continued love! It means so much to me! :) I'm very happy to say that this story has well over 10,000 views, 85 reviews, 106 followers, and 53 favorites. That makes me so happy that so many people have read and continue to read and love this story. Thank you all so much.

I know I said last chapter that the story was winding down, and it is, but I've come up with a couple of more ideas that may prolong it, at least by a chapter or two. Not making any promises because there is one idea that I'm not sure I'm going to end up using. I can't decide if I like or not, so we'll see if that makes it or not. I may end up changing it around so that I can, but again, we'll see.

This chapter is _definitely_ steamy and a smidgen on the kinky side. We find out, along with Laney, one of Eric's secrets. Also, if you want a tease of another scene later in the chapter before reading, please refer to the photo album listed on my profile to see the photo (the last one) that inspired it. ;)

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

The dim and empty halls were quiet at just after six in the morning with most of Dauntless still in their apartments getting ready for work or school and others still sleeping. Laney walked the familiar trek after a long and dull night shift, her tired mind on a quick, hot shower and falling into bed. Although Laney didn't have to work nights much, she was always exhausted when she did.

What made her night even more boring was the fact that because her hand was now in a cast, Laney was stuck doing mostly paperwork and only tending to patients with very minor injuries until her hand healed. Laney was a doer and hated being stuck doing only menial work when she was used to being in the thick of things and taking care of all patients. The cut on her cheek from Four's fist was now scabbed over and still looked gross, but Laney made sure to keep it as covered with makeup as possible. The bruising around the wound that had followed was nearly gone, now a faint greenish yellow color.

Her mind had been on a certain blonde leader all night, no matter how hard she had tried to force her concentration back to her paperwork. It had been an entire month since Eric had been hurt. Eric was now officially back at work and on desk duty. For the first few days, he had only worked for half the day before the two would meet in the training room each day to continue his physical therapy and continue building up his strength. Although the two still spent a lot of time together at each others' places, they had started to eat their meals in the dining hall once again to get out more. The two had had sex twice since their night on the pier, but Laney still wanted to be cautious with both of them ailing and on the mend.

It had been a week since the party and their fight with Four. Laney was avoiding her friend whenever she could, and he seemed to be giving her space. She found that she missed Four a lot, but she didn't know how to deal with him at the moment. She and Eric were in a good place, even though they weren't putting a label on their relationship yet, and only continued to grow closer. Although a part of Laney was waiting for their little bubble to burst, Eric continued to surprise her. She was happy and didn't want that to end.

After keying in the code to Eric's place, Laney made her way inside. Laney knew that Eric would be heading out to work soon, but she had missed him and wanted to see him before she headed to bed. The two had begun sleeping over at each others' apartments most nights, trying and failing to keep their hands off one another even if it never went anywhere, but there were some nights where they gave each other some much-needed space.

When she reached Eric's bedroom, Laney heard the shower running through the open en suite door, steam billowing out from within. Although Laney knew she would regret it and the bed was calling her name, Laney stripped off her clothes and made her way into the bathroom quietly. She walked in to find Eric humming, wondering instantly if she had stepped into an alternate universe. Before she snuck into the shower, she grabbed and slid the waterproof protector on her hand that kept her cast dry.

Laney couldn't help but smile as she snuck into the steamy shower as quietly as possible. Closing the glass door quietly, Laney found Eric with his back facing her. She made her way up behind him, wrapping her arms around his muscular torso and laying her head against his hard back. She felt Eric's body stiffen at her touch momentarily, but soon relaxed once again as he realized it was her.

"Hey," Laney said kissing his shoulder blade softly, feeling his muscles flex beneath her lips.

"Hey," Eric replied, grabbing Laney by her uninjured hand and pulling her around in front of him. "I thought you were going home when you got off?"

"I was, but I missed you last night. I thought I would see you before you went to work." Laney felt the hot water cascade onto her tired body and laid her head onto Eric's wet chest.

Eric wrapped his arms around Laney's small frame, pulling her closer into him. A small smile crept up on his lips as he ran his hands over her back. "I'm glad you did."

The two stood in the shower in comfortable silence for a few minutes, holding each other and letting the water run over them. Laney could feel herself growing more relaxed by the second.

"You feel so good," Laney said, kissing his chest. "If I wasn't so tired, I would delay you from leaving."

"Oh, you would?" Eric asked intrigued. "Max may not be too happy about that."

Laney smirked, feeling bold all of a sudden. "You're Eric fucking Coulter, he'd get over it." Laney ran her hand down Eric's defined abs and down over his length teasingly.

Eric grabbed hold of Laney's hand, stopping it where it was. "You like to live dangerously, don't you?" Eric's tone was a bit threatening, but not so much so that Laney was worried.

"Uh huh," Laney admitted, wrapping her hand around him, eliciting a moan from deep within Eric's throat.

Eric pinned Laney to the wall in a second, quickly becoming hard at her touch. "You're playing with fire, LJ," Eric whispered into her ear in a warning.

"You love it," Laney countered, meeting his hungry gaze.

"You know I do," Eric agreed, kissing down Laney's neck slowly.

"Are you sure have to be at work soon?" Laney asked, tilting her head back to give him better access.

"Unfortunately, I do. I'm just giving you something to think about today while I'm gone."

Laney pulled Eric's face back up to hers, her mouth colliding with his in a heated kiss.

Eric quickly took control of the kiss, holding Laney's hips in a bruising grip. He began to grind against her teasingly. "See what you do to me, LJ."

Laney smirked, wrapping her leg around his hip, and moaned at the feeling of Eric's erection against her center. She began to move her hand back down to grasp his member in her hand, but Eric quickly moved away from her, his warmth instantly leaving her. She opened her eyes to find him stepping out of the shower and grabbing his towel, a frustrated look in his eyes.

Laney frowned a bit, but turned the shower off and followed him, grabbing the second towel off the rack. Laney dried off and followed Eric into his room, finding him looking through his dresser.

Eric grabbed some clothes quickly out of his drawers before he changed his mind and skipped out on work altogether to do what he really wanted to do, which was spend the day with Laney in bed. He knew he couldn't do that with all the time he had missed the last three weeks, even if he really wasn't looking forward to going to work to sit at his desk and catch up on paperwork most of the day.

"Eric, I'm sorry," Laney apologized, slipping on her underwear and one of his t-shirts.

He turned to her while buttoning his black pants. "Don't be, babe. It's fine. If I have to, I'll take care of it in my office bathroom." Eric looked over at her, seeing the concern written on her features, and he relaxed just a little. He grabbed his shirt and went over to her, kissing her softly and lingering a bit to reassure her before he slipped the t-shirt over his head.

Laney returned his kiss, running her hands through his damp hair and watching him finish getting dressed. His hair had grown a tiny bit over the last week and there was still a hint of a curl that Eric insisted on taming every day now that he was back to being in the public eye again. "Ok, I'll make it up to you later."

Eric nearly growled at the thought as he put on his boots, quickly getting up and adjusting his pants that were tighter than normal before going in the bathroom to fix his hair and to get his mind on something else. He was already running late as it was, but he wasn't about to leave with his hair the way it was.

Laney sat on his bed, playing with the hem of the t-shirt she wore while she waited on him to finish. "Are we still going to the training room later?"

"Yeah, if you're up to it. You did just work a twelve-hour shift. I'm surprised you haven't crashed yet," Eric replied as he emerged from the bathroom once again a few minutes later.

"Oh, I'm about to for several hours. I'll be fine by the afternoon," Laney replied, watching him slip his signature vest on over his t-shirt, his muscles bulging out of the sleeves.

"Ok, sleep well, LJ, and I'll see you later," Eric said, noticing how sleepy Laney really was. He kissed her softly twice before grabbing his phone and shoving it in his pocket.

"Ok. Bye babe," Laney replied sleepily with a smile. She watched as he exited the room, looking back at her briefly before closing the door and heading out.

Laney laid down on Eric's bed, laying her head on his pillow and pulling the covers over her. She soon fell asleep with the scent of Eric everywhere around her.

* * *

It was now nearing one in the afternoon, and Laney had just gotten back to Eric's from the dining hall after having a brief lunch with Eric. He had eaten and left soon after to get to a meeting with the other leaders. Since he had started working again, the maid that Max had hired had stopped coming and Eric had let his apartment get a little messy, which was unlike him. It wasn't a complete disaster, but Laney knew he liked to keep it impeccably clean, just like she preferred to keep her own place that she knew needed straightening a bit. Most of the mess in Eric's apartment was dirty laundry that needed to be taken to get washed that he hadn't had the time or energy to take care of yet.

Although Eric did very well trying to hide his exhaustion, Laney knew being back at work at least half the day and then working out for a couple of hours afterward to rebuild his strength was taking its toll on him. He had lost a small amount of his muscle mass in the weeks that he was unable to do any type of exercise, but not enough so that there was a noticeable difference. Eric was determined to get back to his previous bulky form as soon as possible. She knew Eric wouldn't willingly admit that it was a rough transition getting back to normal after having to sit at home for three weeks while on the mend. The least she could do was help him out where she could.

Laney had gathered nearly all the dirty clothes around the room that littered the floor and the chair that sat in his room, some that belonged to her, and had placed them all in Eric's laundry bag. When inspecting the room further to see if she had missed any, she set the bag down upon seeing a t-shirt that was partially hidden underneath the bed. She kneeled down by the bed and grabbed the shirt, seeing something else hidden underneath that she had never seen before.

Looking more closely, she noticed the object was an unlabeled box with a lid that had been pushed to the middle of the floor beneath the bed out of sight. She probably shouldn't be snooping, but it was in her nature to be nosy, and she couldn't help herself.

Once Laney had the box out from under the bed, she lifted the lid off to find it full of magazines. Pulling out the first one, she saw several photos of naked women on the cover in different positions and acts of bondage with both men and other women along with them in each photo. The title read _Daunting Doms_ in large, bold print at the top. Another one of similar content underneath that one that had younger looking women that barely looked old enough to be initiates was called _Darling Dauntless_ , which Laney felt gross even touching and quickly set aside.

More than curious, Laney thumbed through the first magazine to find a lot of BDSM type of material on each page, some of the situations ones that Laney had never even thought of before and would probably be adverse to trying. She definitely wasn't a prude, but she had her limits. Some of the women were dressed in other faction attire, including the gray Abnegation clothes. Swallowing after finishing the magazine, she set it down and picked up another one titled _Dauntless Damsels_. This time the cover had only women on it, and after flipping through the first few pages, she gathered that it was all photos of women masturbating.

Picking up yet another magazine from the box, she found that that particular one was all photos of men and women having sex in different positions, most only slightly more tame than the straight BDSM one she had looked at earlier. The title was _Dirty Dauntless Deeds_.

Flipping through the pages, Laney came across one photoshoot that made her do a double take. The man's face wasn't directly visible in any of the photos, but she knew the body and tattoos well enough to know who it was with the skanky looking girl in the shoot, even if the parts of the photos with the man were out of focus and slightly blurred. If his muscular build, which was only slightly smaller than it was now, and blonde hair that was only seen from the lower side and back styled a certain way didn't give him away, his back and maze tattoos definitely did. If one looked closely enough, a hint of leadership tattoos from the side going down his neck in one of the photos could be seen.

"Holy shit," Laney said louder than she meant to before more closely inspecting each photo.

After pouring over the five different photos in the shoot, painstakingly ignoring the naked girl in each of them, she quickly turned the magazine back over to the front, keeping her finger in place, to check the date. Realizing it was an older issue that had come out two years ago, she released a sigh of relief. Setting that particular issue aside, Laney began to look through the rest of the magazines with men in them to see if any contained the leader she fancied.

After finding three more issues with him in different but just as explicit photoshoots—all from the same year and hiding his face—Laney had kicked off her boots and socks and discarded her pants and underwear. Her shirt, along with her bra, had been pulled up to her chin and her pierced nipples were fully erect. Her back was against the side of the bed as she sat on the cool hardwood floor, her legs spread with knees bent and her fingers between her slick folds. One of the magazines with a spread of Eric, and some random girl named Raven, sat open on the floor in front of her to help with her fantasies, the others spread out just beside it. She didn't know why, but seeing Eric in those positions had lit her skin and body on fire, despite him being in them with other naked women.

Laney had already climaxed twice and was still going strong as she imagined Eric doing those same things to her. Her bottom lip was between her teeth and her head thrown back as she pumped her fingers in and out of her core, completely unaware of her surroundings or the time. When she opened her eyes after reaching her third orgasm, grunting and moaning Eric's name, she noticed she was no longer alone.

Eric leaned against the door frame, his fist firmly clenching the opposite side so hard that his skin had turned white. Laney was sure that the painted wood would break under the pressure. His face was unreadable, but his eyes were so dilated that one could barely see the color of his grayish blue irises that never shifted from her naked form. His huge erection was creating an obvious outline in his pants, and he made no moves to hide it.

"Eric," Laney managed to say breathlessly, feeling her cheeks reddening at being caught. She wasn't sure what was more mortifying, getting caught rifling through Eric's porn stash or that she was using it to get off. She removed her hand from between her legs and closed them.

At first glance, Laney thought he might be pissed at her since she had gone through his obvious secret stash of porn, but regardless of whether he was mad at her or not, he was turned on at his surprising discovery upon arriving home from work. She had no idea how long he had even been standing there watching her.

"What is this?" Eric managed to get out, his voice a deeper tone than normal. He finally released the door frame, making his way over to her slowly. Laney half expected there to be a handprint in the wood.

"I'm sorry. I was getting all of the dirty laundry together and there was a shirt under the bed. I saw the box when I leaned down to the get it and..." Laney swallowed, pausing mid-sentence as his towering form stopped at her side in front of the open magazines. "You know that I can't help but be nosy sometimes." She did her best to look innocent, but knew he wouldn't fall for that, anyway.

Eric held his impassive expression on his face as he leaned down momentarily to pick up one of the magazines laid out on the floor by his feet. "So, I see you found my porn stash and figured out one of my dirty little secrets."

Laney swallowed and nodded, noticing how close his clothed erection was to her line of sight. She noticed it was harder and bigger than she had originally thought, her eyes drawn to it automatically.

"I was still really young and stupid when I did these. Some girl I was sleeping with at the time convinced me to do them." Eric paused looking down at the other magazines spread out on the floor as if remembering back to the time of the photoshoots. "After the first issue did well, she asked me to do the rest, and I stupidly agreed. She made the mistake of telling the head people of the magazines that I would gladly do more without my permission, so needless to say I kicked her to the curb rather quickly once I found out she was using me to make money and trying to get a promotion for herself."

"Damn," Laney replied, her eyes back on Eric. "Apparently, she wasn't very smart."

"No, she wasn't. So, care to explain why you went through my stuff without my permission?" Eric asked with a stern expression on his face, towering over her.

"I'm sorry, I was curious and then intrigued at the content. Once I found you in all these, I couldn't stop looking at them. After looking over them all, I couldn't help but need a release. I imagined that it was me that you were doing those things to instead of those bimbos." Laney hoped he wasn't as pissed at her as he made it seem.

Eric suddenly reached down grabbing Laney's uninjured hand, pulling her up against him. He wanted to smirk at the moan Laney let out of her mouth at the sudden feeling his hardened length against her stomach, but managed to keep a straight face. Looking down at the floor momentarily, he saw the evidence of her arousal pooled in a small puddle on the floor where she had been sitting. _Fuck_ , he thought at the sight. "Just what am I going to do with you?" He tried acting emotionless and pissed off, but quickly found his voice was betraying him.

Laney shuddered against him, swallowing and feeling her arousal picking up yet again. "Whatever you want."

Eric smirked then, knowing just what he wanted to do. "I think it's time I collect my payback for my hair, now." His hand slid down her thigh and gripped the back of it roughly, pulling her legs apart a bit. He ghosted his fingers over her wet folds below her butt, his other hand gripping her ass. He immediately thought about her most recent tattoo that he had picked out that she had gotten earlier that week on her inner thigh as part of losing their bet. "Are you ready for me to collect?"

Laney nodded profusely, gripping his shirt in her good hand. "Oh, yes." Her voice was nearly pleading.

Eric moved away from her briefly, spinning her around so she was facing the bed. He pulled her t-shirt and bra gently off her arms and over her head, tossing them out of the way. "Ok, LJ, lay on your stomach on the bed for me, but keep your feet on the floor."

Laney obeyed and did as he instructed. Her dreams of him dominating her came rushing back into her head and shuddered at the thought. She waited a minute for her next instructions from Eric, going crazy at what he would do.

Eric smirked at her willingness to obey his commands. While Laney was stubborn, he knew she liked being dominated. As evidenced by her magazine choices, he was just the one to fulfill her wishes. He quickly removed his clothes and boots, pulling something in a sealed packet from one of his nightstand drawers when he was fully naked.

"What are you doing?" Laney asked curiously.

"Have you ever used toys during sex before?" Eric asked, opening the sealed packet and setting it on the nightstand inside the plastic part of the packet.

"A couple of times. I've used them more by myself, though." Laney turned her head to try to see what Eric was up to, but her head was gently pushed forward again.

"Keep your head forward if you don't want me to blindfold you," Eric instructed earnestly. "Although, that would probably heighten the experience. We'll save that for another time. How are you with pain?"

"I have a good tolerance for it. Why?" Laney asked, biting her lip.

"Good." Eric smirked at her answer. "If we're doing this according to the photoshoot, you're missing something. We'll start with the tamest one today, first, and work our way up whenever I want since you like them so much."

Laney swallowed as Eric ran his hand down over her inked back slowly, arching at his touch. She nodded her head in agreement against the mattress, not trusting her voice at the moment. She was ready for him and couldn't wait to feel him inside of her again.

Eric stood behind her, taking in her naked form bent over his bed with her ass in the air. The sight made his hardened dick twitch with want. She was already wet and ready for him, but he wanted to try something that had been done in the photoshoot. He spread her legs wider, nudging them further apart with his knee. Inspecting her more thoroughly, he pulled her body toward him off the bed a little bit more. Running his fingers over her dripping core, he watched as her body jumped off the bed at his touch.

"A bit sensitive, are we?" Eric asked, licking his finger.

Laney nodded in agreement, whimpering at the loss of contact. She moaned out loudly when she felt another slightly painful but pleasurable sensation shoot through her, biting her bottom lip. "Shit. What is that?" Laney asked through gritted teeth, shuddering at the feeling.

"It's a nipple and clit clamp. I think if I clamped your nipples too at the moment, it'd be a bit too much right now." Eric tugged on the chain slightly to test it out for her.

Laney nearly screamed at the feeling, making her even more wet. "Eric, please."

"I thought you'd never ask." Eric plunged into her in one swift motion, quickly filling Laney to the hilt. He shuddered at the feeling of her being wrapped around him once again. "Fuck."

Laney moaned loudly, gripping the sheets underneath her with her right hand and her back arching at feeling him fill her once again. She wasn't unfamiliar with this position, but with Eric it felt completely new to her.

Eric let her adjust to his size for a moment before he began to thrust his hips forward, pulling nearly all the way out agonizingly slow and barreling back into her swiftly, repeating the action each time. He gripped her thighs in his large hands, squeezing them with varying amounts of pressure. With each inward thrust, it felt like he went deeper and deeper. Soon, he found himself moving at his usual pace, testing the waters to make sure the movements wouldn't hurt him.

His ribs were healed thanks to the healing serum he'd been given, but they were still getting over the slight stiffness that remained. His movements weren't painful, but when he let himself dwell on the thought, he found them to be slightly uncomfortable. He forced the thought out of his mind as he continued his ministrations, their building releases consuming his thoughts.

Laney began to meet his thrusts, feeling her orgasm building much faster than the previous ones. Her thoughts were muddled together and her legs felt like they were going to give out any second. She felt like she was going to black out from the painful pleasure when Eric pulled on the chain firmly attached to her bundle of nerves. His name fell from her lips as she closed her eyes.

Eric smirked a bit at her reaction and began to massage her throbbing clit, leaving the clamp on there. He thought about climbing on the bed with her to change his angle and get as close to her as he could, but ultimately decided he didn't need to push himself too soon. He ran his hand up and down her smooth back, watching each muscle flex from his touch. Tugging on the chain once more elicited a scream from her lips. He could tell she was close when her legs began to shake and her walls began to grip his pulsing dick more by the second.

"Come for me, Laney," Eric ordered huskily.

As Laney fell over the edge, she muffled her screams in the mattress below her. She tried to keep meeting Eric's thrusts that grew more erratic the more he neared his own climax, but her body was completely spent. She could feel sweat running down her skin and every nerve in her body felt like a live wire as she laid there trying to keep from falling asleep, letting Eric continue to pound into her to reach his own orgasm.

Moments later, Eric stilled completely, releasing a loud growl from deep in his throat and emptying into her depths. His fingers curled around her thigh and dug into her back as he held onto her as if his life depended on it. After a second, he opened his eyes, looking down at Laney sprawled sleepily out on the bed before him. He pulled out of her, removed the clamp, and laid down on the bed beside her, wrapping his arm around her body, and moved them up on the bed to the pillows. He couldn't help but smile a little when Laney curled around him, laying her head on his damp chest.

"Are you ok?" Eric asked after a few moments of silence and catching their breaths, brushing her messy hair over her shoulder and behind her ear.

Laney nodded in confirmation, slowly opening her eyes to meet his own. "Oh yeah, I'm great."

"Well, I guess that makes us even, then," Eric answered, running his fingers through her chocolate locks.

"Turnabout is fair play," Laney commented in defeat, her eyes drooping. "I guess I need to mess your hair up more often."

"You do and something worse than this might happen," Eric threatened playfully. Eric lifted Laney's leg so that her foot was on the bed and her knee was bent, giving him a good view of her newest tattoo that he had chosen for her. Placed on her inner thigh inside a small square outline in black was the words "Property of E. C." in bold.

The memory of her lying unafraid on the padded table with her pants off while Tori tattooed the words and his initials on her skin brought a smirk to Eric's lips. He was surprised Laney hadn't protested his choice of tattoo and its placement and actually took it quite well. The experience was actually quite a turn on for him and made him want to make more bets with similar stipulations in the future. Running his fingers over the freshly healed tattoo on her thigh, he glanced at Laney to find her sound asleep. He kissed her forehead softly.

Eric wasn't sure about what he felt for Laney, but he knew he felt something. Whatever it was, he couldn't recall ever feeling it or caring for anyone this deeply for anyone before. The two hadn't talked about what they were at the moment, skirting around the serious parts as long as they could, but that didn't mean he hadn't thought about it. He had even caught himself daydreaming about their future when he was supposed to be concentrating on the mountains of paperwork on his desk.

The thought of having a future with her scared the hell out of him, but he was Eric Coulter, after all. He would suck it up and face it head on. He was still confused by all of this and would let Laney lead since she had been in actual relationships before. Despite his feelings, he was clearly in no rush to put a label on anything, and it appeared Laney felt the same way. For now, he would just continue to be with her and enjoy her company.

* * *

It had been another long day of work the next day as Laney made her way home completely exhausted, even with only being able to do minimum tasks all day. She had thought about stopping by the dining hall to pick up something to eat, but decided she was too tired and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed. She hadn't spoken to Eric since she had left him in the training room that afternoon before heading back to work, figuring she would see him in the morning.

After punching the key code into the keypad and opening the door, she went in and kicked the door shut with her foot. Laney yawned and pulled her hair out of its messy ponytail while walking further into her apartment. Running her fingers through her hair, she heard something that made her pause momentarily. Listening a few moments to the sound, she realized it was originating from her kitchen. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a few of the lights were on. After a minute of listening further, Laney realized the sound was someone alternating between humming and light singing.

As Laney made her way stealthily over to her kitchen, she looked through the cutout in the wall into the small room, seeing the light on but no person. With confusion etched on her face, Laney tiptoed over to her safe hidden in the hall closet and pulled out her nine millimeter pistol. After checking to confirm it was still loaded, she began to make her way back toward the kitchen. Clicking the hammer down into place and removing the safety, she held the gun expertly in her hands while remaining in a defensive position.

Rounding the corner of the wall to the kitchen entrance, Laney slowly peaked around into the kitchen to see who was inside her home. When she saw that the man was someone she needn't worry about, she immediately relaxed and stuck the gun in her back pocket after putting on the safety. What she saw on the kitchen floor surprised her. Laney didn't know whether to laugh or to be turned on by the sight.

Eric was on his hands and knees, his hard, muscular back to her, with earphones plugged into his ears and music blaring, wiping the tiled floor with a towel. His phone sat on the counter above him while he continued to hum and sing to the song that was currently playing. What really surprised Laney about her discovery was that he was completely naked. Eric's attention was so concentrated on what he was doing that he had yet to even notice Laney standing there. After further inspection, Laney noticed small puddles and drops of water covering the floor, as well as parts of Eric's bare, inked skin.

Laney smirked a little and leaned up against the wall to the galley kitchen, trying her best to hold back her laughter and enjoying the view of his round, toned ass. Retrieving her phone from her jeans pocket, Laney brought up the rarely-used camera and snapped a picture just before reaching for a towel on her black granite countertop. Balling up the small dish towel, Laney threw it at Eric, hitting him on the back. As soon as he turned his head toward her, she quickly snapped another photo of him. She slid her phone back into her pocket.

Eric looked up at Laney leaning against the wall with surprise briefly written on his face until he realized who it was standing there and what she had just done. He removed the earphones from his ears and quickly stood up, turning off the music on his phone.

"What are you doing?" Laney asked finally, still trying to hold back her smile.

"I was cleaning your floor," Eric admitted, setting his phone back down on the counter.

"Um, why?" Laney watched as he knelt back down on the floor to check to see if he had missed any spots.

"Well, since you cleaned my apartment yesterday, I thought I would return the favor. When I got here and everything was clean, I realized your faucet was dripping," Eric continued, standing up and grabbing the soaked towel. "It was annoying the hell out of me."

"Ok, that still doesn't explain why you're naked." Laney smirked, crossing her arms while taking in the view, noticing that his hair was slightly damp and curling. "Not that I mind, by the way, but I thought someone had broken into my apartment." Laney pulled her gun out of her back pocket for emphasis before setting it down onto the counter.

Eric glanced momentarily at the woman across from him, holding the towel in his hand and returned to checking over the floor. "I was checking your pipes under the sink, figuring it was a simple fix. Your pipes were rusted and while I was removing them they busted. I thought I had turned the water off, but apparently not all the way. Needless to say, I got drenched and my clothes were soaked. I was letting them dry in your bathroom."

Laney tried her best to contain her laughter at the thought. If only she had been there to witness the occurrence. "Aww, poor Eric," she responded, her lips in a mock pout.

"It's not funny," Eric argued, sending a glare her way.

"Yeah, it kind of is." Laney quickly controlled herself when Eric swiftly stood and began to step closer to her with a threatening look on his face, holding up her hands in defeat. "Ok, fine, I'm sorry."

Eric smirked when she stepped a few feet back, chuckling a bit himself with a hint of impishness behind it. He was glad to know he could still be as intimidating as ever. "You should be."

"You know, just because you're a former Erudite and know how most things work and its parts, doesn't mean you should try to fix them," Laney pointed out seriously.

"Hey, I've done it before plenty of times. Your pipes were rusted. That's not my fault," Eric replied defensively.

"So, let me guess, I'm unable to use my sink, now?" She raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah, I'll take care of it." Eric made his way over in front of her form leaning against the wall, stopping just in front of her and setting the towel on the countertop. He noticed her eyes running over his body repeatedly. "Like what you see?"

"No," Laney joked with a straight face, her eyes still taking him in. "Not enough muscles."

"Oh, really? Is that why you haven't taken your eyes off me since the moment you saw me and even snapped pictures?" Eric asked huskily, leaning in beside her ear. He put his hands on the wall above her head and on the black counter beside them to cage her in, flexing his biceps for emphasis.

Laney met his heated gaze and shuddered, unable to control herself. "You're too observant for your own good." She paused, swallowing. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you planned this."

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." Eric shrugged nonchalantly.

"If you did, what was the rest of your plan, oh, fearless leader?" Laney asked with a hint of a smirk.

Eric mimicked her smirk, thinking about what he wanted to do to her. "Well, first of all, I would start off by rectifying a big problem."

Laney watched him as she dropped her arms from her chest and began to run her fingers over the lines of his maze tattoos with her uninjured hand, watching his muscles tighten from her touch. "What problem would that be?"

"You're overdressed for my plans. I'd have get you naked, first." Eric began to nip at her jawline, brushing his tongue over her skin every so often. Before reaching her lips, he moved away, grabbing the balled up towel off the counter to discard in the laundry, and began to make his way back to her bedroom with a knowing glance, humming the song he was when she had entered the apartment.

Laney looked after him, watching him intently as he sauntered down the hallway to her room. She took a deep breath, feeling her exhaustion wane for the time being. Moments later, she made her way down the hall after him to her bedroom, smirking at the thoughts of what he had in mind for them.


	15. Chapter 14

Hello, lovelies! Yes, it's been a while, I know. You'll all be happy to know that I'm breaking my rule of staying ahead by a chapter to make up for the time-gap in updating. I'm posting this chapter because Chapter 15 is being a pain to finish and because I've had a couple of people wanting me to update. (You know who you are. ;)) I read over this chapter three times, but I'm sure I missed some errors. I'm only about halfway through with the next chapter, and I still may end up changing/removing part of it so I can't promise that the next update will be finished/posted soon. I wish I could. :/ Regardless of my lack of posting lately, I still thank you guys so much for the feedback and support!

Once again, this chapter is quite steamy, so be warned. ;) I hope I'm not overloading you guys with smut, but if I am, it won't be in every single chapter from now on. I promise that there will be more plot to come.

I've decided to move my writing blog to Tumblr, so you can find it at evielynfic on Tumblr. I'm still moving my stories there, so it's still a bit of a work-in-progress at the moment. I also started a Jai Courtney story that I recently posted on there because this one if sort of giving me fits and the idea wouldn't leave me alone. So, if you're into him and/or stories featuring him, go check it out! I won't be posting it on here.

Anywho, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter! As always, let me know what you think!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

The air was thick and hot in the small room, sweat pouring down every inch of skin. The lights were dim, leaving just enough light on to see well enough. Her attention was supposed to be on her own workouts, but her eyes and thoughts kept straying to the burly man working over one of the punching bags across the room. It was after nine at night, and the two had been in the leader's training room for well over an hour, but it didn't look as if Eric would be finished any time soon.

Laney set the weights in her hands down on the rack, worrying she may drop one on her foot or toes. It had a been over a month since her run-in with Dean, and she had just gotten her cast off a few days before. She didn't need or want to chance injuring something else because she couldn't keep her focus in check. Laney found her attention going back to what it had been focused on since just after they began working out.

Eric pounded away on the punching bag, the force of his hits sending it flying away from him and returning in a second to repeat the process. He had since gotten rid of his t-shirt, tossing it aside out of the way, and his shorts hung low on his hips. Sweat ran down his fair skin like raindrops and his breathing was ragged from the exertion. His hair, now back to its normal length on top and style, was messy and curling from the humidity and sweat.

Laney stood in the same spot, pulling her tank top away from her sweaty skin, biting her lip at the sight of Eric's muscles flexing with each punch. She knew he was in a mood and had been on edge since he had gotten there. He had been in the same mood for the last week since initiation had begun. She had listened to his countless rants about having to "babysit pathetic, idiotic children," his threats to cut every single one of them every time he turned around to light a fire underneath them, and having to deal with Four nearly every day.

Things weren't going great with initiation, so far, and, according to Eric, this year's class was one of the worst ones he'd ever had. She knew he was onto something when most of the initiates had to visit the infirmary multiple times a day from various injuries, some that most Dauntless would just walk off. Laney didn't know if it was because of the initiates' lack of athletic abilities and skills or because of Eric and Four's rivalry getting in the way of instructing said initiates, but she wasn't about to ask Eric about it, either. She had learned over the last month that nothing pissed him off more than discussing Four. She had a feeling that the next nine weeks would be hell.

Although Laney was still pissed at Four herself, she did find that she missed her friend at times. She had seen him around and had run into him a couple of times, but hadn't spoken to him outside of the infirmary since their big fight. He appeared to be giving her space because he hadn't tried speaking to her unless it was necessary. She had seen him glancing her way several times as if he wanted to say something, but he always ended up walking or looking away in the end.

Forcing those thoughts out of her mind, she continued to stare at the half-naked man in front of her. Although she and Eric had become closer over the last month, they still both avoided any discussion of commitment. If Laney was honest with herself, she had already done what she had promised herself she wouldn't do so easily yet again. She had already fallen hard for the infamous Dauntless leader. Laney had no idea where Eric was emotionally, other than caring about her, and was honestly afraid to broach the subject.

Because of initiation, Eric had been frustrated, exhausted, and busy over the last two weeks. The previous week had been his first full week back to his normal schedule and duties, having worked his way back into them the two weeks prior, and he had worked overtime just about every day to make sure that everything was in order for the initiates when they arrived. Though he had come over to stay with her a couple of nights, the two had hardly spent time with one another outside of the bedroom sleeping.

During initiation, she had had to work most days herself to help take care of injured initiates on top of their regular number of patients. The two were always exhausted when they made it home at night over the past week and were just glad for the quiet. When Eric discussed initiation, it was always in some form of a rant. Laney had learned to just listen to him and let him get it out. She gave her two cents on some matters, but kept in her opinion most of them to avoid an argument.

Laney continued to watch the blonde's movements, thinking about different scenarios of things she could do to him to relieve their tension. They hadn't been intimate in over two weeks, kissing and holding each other the only touching they had done, and she was going nuts. Laney had tried seducing Eric many times, only to be interrupted by Eric's phone or Eric not being in the mood. Even during work hours, she had caught her mind drifting to many different sexual fantasies involving Eric. She had had to change the batteries in her vibrator twice in the last two weeks from how much she had used it when she was alone and had a free moment at home.

With a hint of a smirk, Laney finally left her spot and made her way quietly over to Eric. His injuries may have been fully healed now, but he was going to hurt himself again if he kept at the punching bag with the same force any longer. She could use that as an excuse to get him to take a break, or she would at least try. When she reached him, Laney stopped a few inches behind him. His attention was still on the punching bag in front of him, but hopefully not for much longer.

Laney reached out slowly, running her black-coated fingernails along the contours of his shoulder blade. Eric halted his movements instantly under her touch, his body stiffening. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed the nape of his neck softly, running her hands down his back.

Eric moaned lowly at the contact, his thoughts and frustrations beginning to fade. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to distract you," Laney replied. "Besides, you've been beating that thing to a pulp for over an hour. You need a break."

Eric turned around to face her, watching as Laney took his hands in her own. "I'm fine."

Laney removed the padded, fingerless gloves from his hands, inspecting his knuckles. He hadn't drawn blood yet, but his knuckles were black and blue from the continued abuse. "They're bruised, Eric. I think you need to cool it on the punching bag for tonight."

Eric rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his broad, bare chest. "Fine, but I'm too wired to sleep yet. What else do you have in mind?"

Laney met his gaze, quickly expanding upon her idea in her head. Laney knew Eric couldn't turn down a bet, always having the need to prove he was the best at everything. "I bet that I can beat you."

Eric raise his pierced brow, his interest peaked. "Oh, I doubt that, but I'll play along."

"In the ring," Laney continued with a confident smirk.

Eric snorted, trying his best to hold in a laugh. "You're on. What are your terms?"

"If I win, you have to answer ten questions that I ask you."

"Five," Eric countered.

"Seven," Laney quickly challenged back.

"Ok, fine," Eric agreed finally. He stepped closer to her.

"You can skip some questions if you like, but just know that I'll just ask you another. Seven questions have to be answered," Laney further explained.

"Deal. If I win, whenever I ask you, you're going to go buy some chocolate and vanilla ice cream with sprinkles and hot fudge on top." His expression was a serious one, but he had a twinkle in his eye.

Laney looked at him with confusion. "Ok," Laney responded, drawing out the word. She had no idea how that was a win for him.

Eric moved beside her ear, taking up her space in a second. His lips brushed over her earlobe teasingly. "Then I can eat and lick it off you."

Laney closed her eyes, his hot breath against her skin, letting out a whimper at his voice. Her body trembled at the thought. "You've got yourself a deal."

Eric smirked at her answer. "Great." He was gone as fast as he had moved against her, heading toward the ring.

Laney immediately felt the loss, taking a deep breath in and out before turning to face the ring. She watched as Eric kicked his shoes and socks off and stepped up on the ring before she made her way over to the raised mat on the floor. Kicking off her own socks and shoes, Laney joined Eric on the mat.

Laney stood in front of Eric, watching him bouncing from foot to foot with excitement. Memories flooded back into her mind of the last time they had been in the ring together. She remembered her then tiny body lying on the mat bloody and broken just before a younger Eric brutally kicked her unconscious.

"Hey, LJ, are you with me?" Eric asked after a minute.

Laney shook her head, shaking the thoughts away with the action. "Yeah, I'm here."

"LJ, I'm not going to hurt you." Eric emphasized each word, surmising what Laney had been thinking about.

"Don't go easy on me." Laney met his gaze head on in a challenge, a smirk on her lips, her previous mood back in place.

"I won't, but I'm also not going to purposefully hurt you, either. This is for fun, ok?" Eric's eyes never wavered, making it clear that he wasn't going to use his fully-renewed strength against her. She had sparred many times since initiation with various people, but never anyone the size and strength of Eric. They both knew that Eric easily had the upper hand and could beat Laney from sheer strength blindfolded if he wanted.

"Got it," Laney agreed with a nod, getting into her fighting stance.

Eric mimicked her stance, a hint of a smile on his face, as they began to circle each other in the middle of the mat. He watched her movements carefully, trying to calculate what she would do first. He figured she wouldn't charge him right out of the gate because in size she was no match for him—she would have to beat him with her speed and smarts. He smirked at the thought, knowing that it would come down to who could outsmart the other because he had no intention of using his size and strength to his advantage against her and chance hurting her.

Laney watched Eric's movements carefully, noticing him doing the same with her. Her objective wasn't to beat him—this time—but she had to make it look convincing for a time. It wasn't long before she noticed Eric growing antsy and making a move toward her. She ran toward him, ducking at the last minute to avoid the swing of his fist. She tried briefly to get behind him, but each time he would turn to face her as if he was guessing her movements before she made them.

"Are we going to circle each other all day or what?" Eric taunted impatiently.

Laney faked a punch toward his face, only to have him easily block her fist, and she swung her leg at his knee while he was distracted. Although Laney thought she had him fooled, Eric quickly grabbed her foot with his other hand, tossing her onto her back on the mat.

Although her back stung a bit from the impact, Laney quickly jumped back up on her feet once she saw Eric slowly approaching her. She didn't want to get beaten just yet. When Laney sprung onto her feet once again, Eric tried to knock her back down by swinging his leg into her own, but he was surprised that she had anticipated his action and darted across the ring away from him unscathed.

He immediately trailed after her. "You can't outrun me forever, LJ."

"Watch me," Laney smirked and began running circles at a safe distance around Eric to prove him wrong.

Eric followed her movements for a few moments, trying and failing to catch her a couple of times before quickly becoming frustrated at her antics when he wasn't able to keep up. "Ok, smartass."

Laney smirked at his comment, knowing he was growing tired of her games really fast. She waited until Eric stopped trying to catch her in her laps around him, knowing he was just waiting until she began to tire to strike, and Laney leapt onto his back when she saw the perfect opportunity. Laney wrapped her arms around his neck, pinning his arms to his sides with her thighs. "Who's the smartass, now?" Laney whispered into his ear tauntingly.

Eric immediately began to thrash to get his arms loose from her hold. Laney had a tight grip around his arms, but he quickly freed them. Before she could even think about his next move, Eric grabbed a hold of Laney's arms and easily flipped her over his head onto the mat.

Laney arched her back when she hit the mat, closing her eyes at the slight pain running through her back. Eric hadn't flipped her over as hard he could have, but the action still stung a bit. It began to ease moments later. Laney laid there a second trying to catch her breath, and before she knew it, Eric's massive form was on top of her pinning her to the mat. His hands had hers pinned down with her legs trapped underneath him.

"You were saying?" Eric gloated, brushing his lips against her ear.

Laney shuddered and swallowed at the movement, smirking internally because she had him right where she wanted him. She inched her leg up slowly so that her knee brushed his groin, noticing he was already semi-hard.

As he felt her knee against his crotch, Eric shuddered at the contact before releasing one of her arms to grab her knee as the realization of her intentions set in. He quickly sat up straighter so he could look her in the eye, but rested his weight on his hand and knees so not to crush her.

"Don't even think about it." His voice was deadly serious, making sure she knew there would be consequences to her actions if she carried out her threat. He squeezed her knee in his hand to further dissuade her.

"And what if I did?" Laney challenged with a smirk underneath him. "Because if this were a real fight, I would have a clear opening."

"Trust me, you don't want to find out." His stare was bordering on menacing and one he had used many times over the years. He lowered his head to her ear once again, softening his features only slightly. "Just because I like you, doesn't mean I wouldn't punish you." Eric quickly gripped her chin just above her windpipe, tilting her head back and exposing her neck to further prove his point. "I am still your leader."

Laney swallowed at Eric's words and his grip around her chin. Though his hold on her chin was tight, it wasn't painful, and he wasn't doing it to hurt her. She felt that he was now fully aroused against her knee and shuddered at the thought, wetness pooling between her legs. A deep, dark part of her wondered what his punishment would be if she did knee him in the groin and almost felt tempted to do it just to find out.

"How would you punish me?" She looked up at him with curiosity in her brown eyes.

"You know that curiosity almost always kills the cat," Eric warned, running his teeth over the skin of her exposed neck. "But, trust me, it wouldn't be fun for you."

"Do you like this—being in control?" Laney asked with a whimper. "I can tell you do." She brushed her knee over his erection for emphasis, eliciting a moan from Eric.

Eric pushed down on her raised leg to lower it to the mat, fitting himself between them. He noticed Laney didn't resist his actions and soon spread her other leg to allow him better access. He had had his suspicions on her motives for their fight in the ring since he obviously could easily beat her at the activity. When she made no moves to get up from the mat the second time, he knew she was baiting him. "You're a little tease, you know that?"

For most of the night, his mind had been on the shitty week he had been having. He had hardly even noticed Laney the way he had most of the other times in her tight, short workout attire. His mind had been on other things as of late, and though he wanted to distract himself from the misery, he knew as a leader there were expectations of him that he would not fall short on. He was also not used to having someone to lean on when he needed it and was still getting used to having someone be there for him. He hadn't even let his mind delve into what he and Laney were at the moment, enjoying what they had and afraid he might screw it up.

During every other initiation he had overseen, Eric's life had nearly revolved around it for the entirety of those weeks. He had rarely found the time to seek companionship during those long, grueling weeks from his busy schedule, much less had been in the mood for it. With Laney though, Eric realized that things were much simpler. Just her being there with him made him feel nearly completely at ease and put his mind on something else. She seemed to know just when to distract him from his own personal hell.

Laney felt when Eric lowered himself on top of her, pressing most of his weight on her, a moan escaping her mouth at the contact. She bit her lip and lifted her hips to move against his hardened length in his shorts. His hand gripped her chin a bit harder, his other running up her bare thigh that was wrapped around him. "What are you going to do with me, oh, fearless leader?"

Eric smirked at her question, ignoring her nickname for him. "Hmm, I don't know."

Laney was just waiting for Eric to strike. His slow movements and holding back was something he was doing to torture her. She knew he was calculating on just the right moment. Laney had other plans. "We should go shower. I feel gross."

Eric was surprised at her admission and even more surprised when she managed to get out from under his weight. She began to make her way off the mat and grabbed her shoes, socks, and gym bag while Eric sat there dumbfounded and horny as hell. He was up off the mat in a second, grabbing his own things and slowly following her.

Laney began to head to the locker rooms just off the training room. Eric had insisted that they use the leader's training room for privacy to distance themselves from the wandering initiates. She knew Eric was several feet behind her and could feel his presence. Just before she disappeared around the corner of the hallway, she glanced his way with a smirk.

Laney made her way into the women's locker room that was for the few female Dauntless leaders and significant others of the male leaders. The room was smaller than the locker room off the main training room, but was much nicer. The floors were a dark gray ceramic tile throughout while the walls were a lighter gray tile. The room had quadruple vanities in the main portion of the room along the left wall, mirrors covering a good portion of it above the vanities.

On the other side of the room there were four separate smaller rooms in a row containing glass-enclosed showers and dark wooden benches with three wooden hooks above them on the wall. The smaller rooms each had a black door, space left on the tops and bottoms to allow steam to escape, for privacy with one other hook on the back. The shower took up most of the smaller rooms, expanding the length of the far back wall, but still left a decent amount for moving around and changing clothes. It had a large shower head and a tiled bench in the back.

Laney chose one of the four vacant rooms, setting her bag down on one side of the wooden bench and her shoes and socks down on the floor in the corner. She turned the water on to let it heat up and began to remove her sweaty clothes. She grabbed her shampoo and body wash out of the bag and set them on the tiled bench in the shower. After letting her hair down, she stepped into the shower and let the water run down over her to relax her. She grabbed her body wash that smelled of vanilla and began to lather the front of her body, setting the bottle back down in the niche in the wall for easier reach.

It wasn't long before she felt large, rough hands running over her neck and back. Laney didn't even have to look to know who it was. "Took you long enough."

"I was debating on being a gentleman for about a minute and shower in the men's locker room like I'm supposed to, and then realized I shouldn't pretend to be something I'm not," Eric responded, rubbing the body wash over her smooth skin.

"You can be gentle and nice when you want to," Laney pointed out, grabbing her shampoo and lathering her chocolate locks.

"That's only for you. I couldn't care less about how I am toward anyone else."

"Obviously." Laney moved up under the water to rinse the suds off her skin and out of her hair.

Eric watched her movements intently. "You planned that whole thing, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Laney replied once she emerged out from under the stream of water, feigning innocence.

"You're lying straight to your leader's face, you do know that, right?" Eric looked at her with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"You sure do like pulling that leader card out." Laney grabbed her body wash and began lathering it over Eric's body.

"Well, I am a leader. I worked hard for my position and rank, so I'm damn well going to use it to my advantage when I need or want to." He tried staying serious, but he found it difficult with Laney running her hands all over his skin. "Besides, you're deflecting."

"What are you going to do about it—punish me?" Laney challenged, rounding behind him and lathering his expansive back.

"Don't tempt me, LJ." Eric began to lather his sandy hair using her shampoo. Eric liked when she didn't back down or give into him so easily. He liked that Laney always challenged his threats, however serious or not they might be, and pushed him right back.

"But I like tempting you," Laney said in a playful tone, running her hands down over his round butt. "It's fun."

"I don't disagree with you there," Eric responded with a shudder. Eric let out a deep groan when he felt her hands reach around him and grab his still hardened length.

"I see you enjoyed our little sparring match, regardless," Laney taunted as she began stroking and squeezing him gently, lathering soap over his shaft as she went.

"Fuck," Eric shot out, tossing his head back and closing his eyes. "You like playing with fire, huh?" His voice was much lower and his muscles were rigid.

"With you, I do." Laney placed kisses over his shoulder blade, finally releasing her hold of him.

Eric immediately rinsed off the body wash that covered his body and the shampoo in his hair, one thought taking over his mind. When he was certain that he was suds-free, he quickly turned around and grabbed Laney by the waist none too gently, quickly and effortlessly picking her up and pinning her against the tiled wall. It had been a while since he had been buried inside her, and now that she had planted the seed in his mind, it was all he could think about.

Laney suddenly felt the cold tiles against her back contrasting with the warmth Eric was spreading over her body, sending a shiver through her. She wrapped her legs around him, bringing him closer. "Well, regardless of whether I planned our match or not, it worked, I see."

"You're such a tease," Eric whispered against her skin, trailing kisses down her neck.

"I know," Laney admitted with no shame, tilting her head back to give him better access. She released a moan, her fingers weaving into his wet locks, when Eric began grinding his erection against her. "Eric, please."

Eric kissed up to her ear before slipping his fingers between her slick folds. Satisfied, he answered her request by quickly sliding into her, letting out a deep groan that melded with one of her own. He felt her tug on his hair as he stayed still buried within her, relishing in the feeling of her hugging him tightly. "God, I've missed this."

"I'm surprised you remember what it feels like with how preoccupied you've been lately." Laney swallowed and moaned involuntarily as he retaliated with a quick and hard thrust, his grip tightening on her hips.

"You love to live dangerously, don't you?" Eric asked as he continued his rough movements, his hungry gaze trained on her.

She smirked a little lazily with a nod before meeting his thrusts. "I am Dauntless, after all."

"Yes, you are," Eric readily agreed, quickening his pace even further. He ran one of his hands up her side, flicking her pierced, erect nipples repeatedly.

"Shit." Laney felt pain that quickly turned into pleasure with each flick of his large fingers against her nipples. She felt her release nearing the more he continued his assault.

Eric only smirked, and after a few moments, stopped his attack and ran his hand back down her side to her swollen clit. He began repeating the same act that he had done to her nipples, flicking her nub a couple of times before stroking it with varied amounts of pressure and speed.

Laney had closed at her eyes at the amazing feeling building up in her lower abdomen, biting her bottom lip with her teeth. She knew it wouldn't be long at all until she fell over the edge with the way Eric was pleasuring and plunging into her. She moaned his name loudly and dug her nails into his back.

As Eric felt her begin to tighten around him, he began thrusting harder and more roughly to reach his own climax. His movements suddenly became erratic once she fully clenched around his throbbing member, and after a couple more thrusts inside her, he stilled before releasing his warmth into her. He quickly grabbed the wall with one arm to keep himself upright and to keep from crushing Laney, completely spent.

After a few moments of ragged breaths between them, Eric finally broke the silence. "We should definitely do this more often."

"Yes, sir," Laney commented with a wicked smirk on her lips.

Eric met her brown eyes with his own darkened slate ones in a heady gaze, a smirk forming on his own lips at the idea. He knew then that it was going to be a long night for the both of them.

* * *

I hope that the "fight" scene wasn't confusing to read. It was the first one I've written.


	16. Chapter 15

Hello, it's me. (Sorry, I couldn't resist, lol.) This update is actually coming a lot sooner than I thought it would, but that's only because the last scene that was originally planned for this chapter got moved to the next one. It's a long and intense scene, and I didn't want to make this chapter too long so that I could get it out sooner. This chapter has already given me enough fits as it is, and I will come out and say that it's definitely not my favorite by any means. I came up with the idea, and once I started writing it, it was like it was doomed from the start. It did _not_ want to get written, at least not to my liking, anyway. So, I apologize ahead of time if it's not my best chapter. I also wanted to post this chapter before tomorrow because I'm sure I won't have a lot of time to write over the weekend.

Also, I know I say this every time, but thanks so much again, guys, for all of your support and feedback. You have no idea how much it means to me to see how well received this story has been. Truly, thank you.

With all of that said, I hope everyone in the US has a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! :)

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

The dining hall was bustling with Dauntless that morning as Laney sat and picked at her breakfast alone at one of the tables. Her selection of waffles, bacon, and toast were just right, but she wasn't in the mood to eat them. She had woken up nearly two hours earlier than she had planned after barely being able to sleep the past few weeks, but since she was unable to go back to sleep, Laney decided to get up and face the day. After her shower, she had gotten dressed, throwing her wet hair into a messy bun, made her way down to the dining hall, and had been in there ever since.

She had seen some of the initiates trickle in and out minutes earlier before they had to be in the training room, most only coming in long enough to grab a quick bite of something light and leaving once again. Laney saw a couple of initiates she had become acquainted with over the last five weeks, having seen them in and out of the infirmary constantly with various injuries. After seeing most of the initiates already, Laney had hoped she would see Eric wander in at some point. She had been sitting there for the better part of an hour and had seen no sign of the infamous leader yet.

She hadn't seen Eric much in the last four weeks since their rendezvous in the training room, knowing the irritation and exhaustion was getting to him when he wasn't overseeing training. They had only spent one night together where all they did was sleep and had barely seen each other at all outside of the dining hall the few times he had come in when she was there. At first, Eric had come up with different excuses to explain his absence, and then the further into initiation they got, the more Eric snapped and pushed her away. Laney believed him, despite his anger, and found she really missed him. She hadn't really been sleeping well in the last month because of his behavior, finding herself easily tired and snippy with nearly everyone she crossed paths with. Part of her wondered if there was something else going on with him, but there was really no evidence to back up her suspicions.

Checking her watch, Laney noted that there was only about ten minutes before training started. She sighed, picking up her tray with her now empty plate, and made her way over to the trash bins. Her plan was to go search for Eric at his place or office, hoping to see him, if only briefly, before he became busy for the day and she had to be at work. After dumping her trash and adding her tray to the stack of returned trays, she turned around, about to make her way out of the room, when she bumped into a hard body.

"Ow," Laney rubbed her face that had collided with hard muscle.

"Oh, sorry, Laney," a familiar voice said. "I thought you would head the other way."

Laney looked up, knowing immediately who the voice belonged to. "It's ok, Four."

The two stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say to the other. They still hadn't really spoken to one another, other than inside the infirmary where Laney made sure their conversations remained strictly about injured initiates.

"Did you need something?" Laney asked, seeing Four stand there just as awkwardly as she was. She figured he must want something since he had been standing directly behind her when she turned around.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about everything, for what it's worth, and I miss you." Four stuck his hands in his pockets, his brown eyes moving to the floor momentarily. "You have every right not to forgive me, or even care, but I just wanted you to know."

"Four." Laney paused with a sigh. "I've already forgiven you. You know I can't stay mad at you, anyway. I just needed some time to figure things out."

Four started to roll his eyes but stopped himself, easily understanding her veiled explanation. "You mean, you didn't want me ruining things between you and Eric."

Laney met his gaze, trying to will away the tears in her eyes to keep them from falling and failing miserably, part of her feeling as if Four had been right all along. "No, that's not why. The things you said really hurt. You've been my friend for a long time, Four." She turned her head once she knew the tears weren't stopping and were slipping down her cheeks. She swiped at them swiftly, feeling like a baby for crying in front of a room full of Dauntless.

"I know I hurt you, and I'm so sorry. I never meant to. You know I would never hurt you intentionally." Four reached out, turning her face toward his once again, and wiped the few tears that had replaced the previous ones away with his thumbs.

Laney stiffened at his touch and he instantly dropped his hands at his sides.

"Sorry—old habit," Four replied apologetically.

"It's fine," Laney assured him with a small smile. She noticed Four looking her over.

"You look like hell, LJ," Four stated bluntly, his brown eyes boring into hers. "What's the matter?"

"I could say the same about you," Laney replied, looking away from his scrutinizing stare. "It's nothing."

Four sighed, not wanting to push her. "Look, I have to get to the training room, but if you need someone to talk to about anything, even leaders that I don't really like, you know I'm here for you."

"I'm not going to involve you, Four. It's just going to piss off both you and Eric. I'm not going there and stirring that pot again." Laney walked out of the dining hall, hearing Four follow her.

Four grabbed her hand just outside the doors, halting her before she could get very far and turning her to face him once again. "Laney, I don't care. You've always been able to tell me anything. Yes, we had a fight, but we're best friends. I may not like Eric, but you can still come to me if you need to get something off your chest. One fight isn't going to make me stop caring about you."

"I don't want to create anymore friction between the two of you, especially now during initiation when you have to work together practically every day. Besides, I'm sure it's just me being paranoid and insecure, anyway," Laney explained but stopped before she made something out of nothing.

"Did he do something to you?" Four asked, narrowing his eyes and his tone becoming hard. "If he hurts you, I swear-"

"No," Laney answered instantly, interrupting him. "I mean, I don't know. I don't think so. I just haven't seen him a lot the last month, and he's been acting like the old Eric."

Four sighed, relaxing a bit. "Look, I have to get to the training room, but come find me later. You can talk all you want to, and I'll listen. I'll even keep quiet if that's what you want."

Laney nodded in agreement. "Ok, I will."

Four was a bit surprised when she pulled him in for a quick hug, but hugged her back and smiled before heading to the training room. "I'll see you later, LJ."

"See ya, Four," Laney called out to him as he walked at a swift pace down the hall, receiving a nod and smile from her friend. "Don't be too hard on them," Laney whispered to herself before she started to make her way down the side hallway.

When she turned into the hallway, she saw Eric standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, looking none to pleased with a scowl on his face. "What the hell was that?"

Laney halted immediately as if her feet were glued to the floor, swallowing. "Eric."

"Don't make me repeat myself, Laney. Now is definitely not the time to piss me off," Eric retorted bitingly.

"It was nothing, Eric. Four was apologizing, that's all." Laney shrugged.

"Bullshit, that's not all you were talking about. I heard enough to know that you're lying. You know very well what I think about lying." Eric made his way over to Laney, dropping his arms from his chest and balling his hands into fits so tight that his hands were making cracking noises. His voice was full of venom.

"He's just concerned about me, Eric," Laney tried to explain calmly. "At least someone is."

Eric scowled even more at her comment. "You're turning to him to help solve your problems after he basically called you a slut and an idiot to your face? Some best friend."

"That's between Four and I, and he apologized for what he said. He's not perfect. He's always been there for me, Eric. I can't just forget that."

Eric snorted in derision. "Yeah, he's been there for you because he wants to be able to keep fucking you."

Before Laney even knew what she had done, her hand had flown up and slapped Eric across the cheek. She immediately saw an angry, red mark appear on his cheek, swallowing at the realization of what she had done. When Eric had no immediate retort or made any moves to retaliate, only glaring at her even more deadlier than before, she continued her argument. "No, Four wouldn't do that. It's because he cares about me. And I was just telling him that you and I have barely seen each other the last few weeks-"

"You think I don't care about you? And, what, you think that I'm off fucking girls left and right behind your back because I've been a little distant and busy?" Eric asked, cutting her off. "Yes, because _I_ would do that, right?"

Laney started to speak when Eric stopped just in front of her, still glaring at her menacingly. "Eric, I-"

"What makes you think that I would do that? Because I've fucked different girls at the same time before without batting an eye?" He paused, huffing in anger. "I've told you dozens of times that you're different than any other girl I've been with. Just because I've been a little distant and irritable for several weeks, you think that I'd betray you just like that?" He was seething now, his tone ice cold.

Laney shook her head. "No, but I'm gun shy, Eric. I've been in the relationship where my boyfriend cheats on me for God knows how long before I even know about it. Besides, I'm in uncharted territory here. I don't know what this is or what we're even doing. I'm afraid to even bring up the subject because I know that you don't do relationships. You made that perfectly clear before anything ever happened between us." She felt herself growing bold and angry at the same time.

"And you think I know what I'm doing? You know I've never been in a serious relationship before," Eric argued.

"That's beside the point. You've been absent recently, almost as if you're trying to avoid me, and when I have seen or talked to you, you've been a complete asshole and pushed me away. I get that you're stressed out from work. Well, guess what? So am I." Laney met Eric's glare.

"This is why I've never cared about being in a relationship and prefer one night stands. I don't have to deal with all the petty shit that women always complain about and then become clingy because they're jealous and want to control everything. You're living in a fantasy world if you think that I'm about to let you change or control me."

Laney groaned in frustration. "I'm sorry if I care about you not being around and I never said that I was trying to change or control you."

"Why? I know you got used to me being around constantly when I was injured, but I'm not anymore in case you haven't noticed. You need to stop thinking that because I like being with you and care about you that that makes this something more than it is," Eric continued. "You're going to have to get used to the fact that I'm never going to be the perfect guy that you want me to be. I'm not a nice person. If that's what you want, maybe you should go be with Four."

"Now you're just being stupid, Eric." Laney was now huffing just as much as he was. "And I know you're not stupid."

"I don't have time for this, LJ. I'm going to be late for training. Go to work, and we'll talk once you've calmed the fuck down," Eric ordered as he began to walk toward the end of the hallway, ready for their conversation to end.

"You want to know why I care so much that you've basically been M.I.A. and pushing me away lately?" She paused briefly as she continued to watch his retreating figure. "It's because I'm in love with you, Eric!" Laney shouted out of the blue, the words flowing from her mouth unexpectedly.

Eric halted with his back turned to her, trying to figure out if he heard her correctly.

Laney made her way over to him and stopped beside his frozen form. "Oh, and Eric, you may be a leader and think you control everything, but in case you've forgotten, I'm not one of your initiates that you can just order into submission." Her voice was low but so icy that her tone could rival his own.

Laney stormed off, running from Eric despite his calls after her. When she realized he wasn't following her, she slowed down to a walk, sighing. As she made her way to the infirmary early, Laney did all she could to clear her mind and to keep from wondering if the whole thing with Eric was a mistake or not, despite what she felt for him.

* * *

The day seemed to drag on the longer Laney fumed, but after a few hours, she realized that she may have screwed everything up between them. She hadn't wanted to tell Eric she loved him in the middle of a fight and, now, he probably wanted nothing to do with her. Laney had spent the morning unboxing supplies that had arrived from Erudite that morning, taking her time to put them in their proper places to keep herself busy. Normally, she could do the job rather quickly, even with multiple big boxes to sort through, but that day it took her around two hours from exhaustion and her thoughts being clouded with Eric.

After barely eating anything at lunch, mostly just moving her food around on her plate, Laney decided to take the rest of the day off. The day had been slow in the infirmary, anyway. Her plan was to try to get some much-needed sleep and Laney found herself looking forward to it, but on her way home she received a text from Four asking her to meet him in the training room. She really wanted to tell him no, knowing there would be a good chance that she would run into Eric, but she had learned long ago that saying no was something she didn't know how to do well. There was also the fact that Four would just find her later, anyway.

As she made her way into the huge, dimly lit training room, she noticed all the initiates either training on the punching bags, practicing their fighting moves with a partner, or running the perimeter of the expansive room, surprised when she found them not beating the crap out of each other. Most seemed to have improved over the past four weeks. Four stood alone around on the edge of the room with his arms folded over his chest as he observed the initiates. Looking around every inch of the room, Laney was instantly relieved when she saw no signs of Eric.

Four heard her coming before Laney reached him, glancing back her way before turning his eyes back to the room in front of him. "Hey, LJ."

"Hey, Four, what did you need?" Laney asked, stopping beside him.

"What happened with you and Eric?" Four asked quietly so that only Laney heard him.

"We got into a fight," Laney responded with a shrug, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why?"

"He was in a murderous mood all morning," Four began.

Laney sighed in frustration. "Is that why you wanted me to come in here, Four? I just got off early to go home to get some sleep." She looked at the floor to avoid Four's questioning gaze with a sigh when she knew he wasn't going to drop his inquiry. "How is that any different from how he is any other day?"

"Usually he's only bark, no bite unless provoked, but, today, he had them all doing intense physical training drills for most of the morning with barely any breaks in between because someone was lagging a bit during their warm-up laps around the room. When one of them stopped in the middle of the drills, he grabbed the kid by the throat and yelled in his face. I think the guy nearly pissed his pants." Four paused, glancing briefly at the initiates again before turning his attention back to her. "I mean, normally, Eric just yells threats at them to speed them up or makes that particular person run more laps or gives out punishments. They nearly all passed out when he did finally tell them to stop and the kid has a bruise around his neck where Eric grabbed him."

"Damn." Laney cringed at the thought. "That's brutal."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I tried to get Eric to ease up a a bit, but he just sent me a death glare, daring me to protest any of his commands." Four looked at Laney to gauge her reaction. "When he did finally let them off the hook, he stormed out of the room and hasn't been back since."

Laney sighed, rubbing her face. "I'm sorry, Four, I guess that's my fault."

"What do you mean?" Four turned his full attention to Laney, furrowing his brows.

Laney recounted the events of her and Eric's argument, leaving out only that she told Eric she loved him, wondering if should drop the news of her feelings for their leader to Four.

"Is he serious? Who is he to be pissed that you forgave me for what I said to you? How is that any of his business?" Four had raised his voice becoming angry, only lowering it once he noticed the initiates looking over at them. "I hope you know me better than to think that I only apologized to you to get back into your pants."

"I do."

"I really wish I had been there when you had slapped him. I bet that was classic, though highly stupid since he could easily kill you." Four was trying his best to stay serious as he pictured Laney slapping their leader. "What did he do about it?"

"Nothing, which was a bit surprising, but that didn't stop him from yelling at me and trying to glare me to death," Laney answered.

Four snorted in derision before continuing. "And he was seriously mad that you would think he would be going behind your back with other women after doing who knows how many different women in the last five years? And, after he's treated you like shit for a month?"

Laney didn't respond as Four continued his rant beside her, waiting until he was finished talking. "He told me I was becoming clingy, jealous, and acting like every other girl, which is one reason why he avoids relationships. He then accused me of trying to change and control him."

"What did you say to that?" Four asked curiously.

"I called him out on his bullshit. He used the excuse that he was going to be late for training, basically that he didn't have time for my petty crap, and then began walking away like a coward," Laney recalled, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Did you stop him?"

"I told him that I cared about his absence because I'm love with him, and then told him I wasn't one of his initiates to boss around whenever he felt like it before I walked away from him. He kept calling after me, but I went to the infirmary, and he didn't follow me."

Four paused a minute, making sure he had heard her correctly. "Wait, what?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Four," Laney warned, her eyes moving to the initiates in front of her.

"You're in love with that bastard?" Four asked, raising his voice once again. "You've got to be kidding me, Laney."

"I don't want to hear it, Four," Laney retorted in an icy tone. "I do not want to hear an 'I told you so,' so shut the hell up."

"Fine," Four responded through gritted teeth. "What are you going to do?"

Laney stared ahead at the other end of the room. "I don't know." Her voice was much lower and deflated than before.

Four sighed, calming down. "Seriously, how are you doing?"

"Ask me later. I'm going to go try to get some sleep," Laney replied, her anger subsiding and turning into exhaustion once again.

"Ok, I'll come find you later."

"Ok, have fun," Laney said half-heartedly and began to walk out.

"Hey, Laney?" Four called out to her.

She turned around to face him. "Yeah?"

"Take care of you, first. Don't worry about him," Four advised.

Laney could see the concern in her friend's brown eyes. "Thanks, Four, I'll try."

* * *

It had been midnight when Laney found her way into the vacant training room, needing an outlet to get out some of her frustration. The initiates were asleep since it was a weeknight, and the only people still awake were the regular members who went to the Pit every night. Laney had managed to sleep for a few hours earlier that afternoon, feeling less tired, and her mind had been on Eric since she had seen him in the dining hall at dinner. She had somehow avoided him as he sat talking with the other leaders, getting her meal to-go, and took her food back to her apartment to eat in silence.

Laney didn't even let herself look at him for more than a few seconds because she still didn't know what to think of their fight. Part of her was pissed at the things Eric had said to her and how casually he had brushed off what they had as if it were nothing, and the other part of her blamed herself for allowing the fight to escalate as far as it did. She was currently at a loss at what to do about their situation, which is why she had been in the training room for nearly an hour so late at night when she was unable to sleep yet again.

Her knuckles were beyond bruised and sore from the lengthy abuse she had put them through against the punching bag. She was now throwing knives into the wooden targets set up for the initiates, trying to keep her thoughts at bay. The longer she threw the small pieces of sharpened metal, the more her exhaustion was taking over. Her aim was no longer as precise or accurate. She threw the next to last knife, nearly missing the wooden target altogether.

"You're form is sloppy," Four critiqued from behind her.

Laney turned around, a knife still in her hand poised to launch, sending her friend a glare for sneaking up on her.

"Whoa," Four called out, holding up his hands in surrender. "It's just me, LJ."

Laney groaned in frustration and quickly turned back around, launching the knife at the target. She watched it as it sailed to the far left of the target and dropped onto the floor with a clang after hitting the wooden wall surrounding the targets.

"You need to stop, LJ," Four said with worry in his voice. "You've been in here for too long, and you're only going to get angrier. You're exhausted and pissed; that's not a great combination and you know it."

Laney caught her breath, huffing at his response as she wiped her face with her equally sweaty t-shirt.

"It's Eric, isn't it?" Four asked after a few minutes of silence between them.

"I don't know what to do, Four," Laney finally admitted with a sigh.

"If you don't want to be with him anymore or whatever, move on. He's not worth torturing yourself over." Four watched as Laney's body began to sag in defeat.

"I know you're right, Four, but I can't just forget about him. He's gotten under my skin, and I can't shake him. I love him, Four."

Four sighed, rubbing her back soothingly. "Then you need to talk to him. Find out what's really going on with him."

"I don't know if I can face him yet," Laney admitted.

"LJ, you're strong and a Dauntless. You're not a coward," Four pointed out.

Laney nodded. "I know, I'll try to talk to him tomorrow."

"Good, I hate seeing you like this. If you have to, kick his ass. Whatever it takes."

"You'd like that, I'm sure." Laney shook her head with a slight smile.

"Yes, I would." Four returned her smile. "Now, go home, shower, and get some sleep. I'll clean up in here."

Laney rolled her eyes as she started heading out of the training room. "Yes, mother."

Four shook his head as he watched her exit, a smile forming on his face. He was glad to have his friend back.


	17. Chapter 16

Happy New Year, guys! I am so sorry that it's been over a month since I last posted. The first reason was due to a horrible writer's block that I seem to have gotten through, then there were the holidays that I took a couple of days off from writing for Christmas, and the final reason is because I fairly recently have gotten a new job and have been going through that process the last two weeks, including initial interview, final interview, and orientation before I start training on the 18th.

For a while, my schedule will be earlier in the day and I'll get done with training early in the afternoon, but when I finish training my schedule will shift to later in the day, and I won't get off until later at night. I still hope to keep writing pretty regularly, though, because I usually write more in the mornings, anyway. I may not have the same amount of free-time that I do currently, but I've been looking for a full-time job for two years. I've had a couple of freelance jobs throughout those two years, but those don't pay as well. Anyway, I wanted to give you guys an update on what's going on with me lately, so you know that I haven't just dropped off the face of the earth and that I do intend to keep writing. ;) Thank you guys so much for sticking with me!

This chapter was initially going to be longer, but I broke them into two so that I could make an update sooner. This scene stood out on its own enough that I made it into its own chapter, though it is a bit shorter than the last few have been. It was also going to more intense than it is, but the way I originally planned to write it wouldn't work out that way for some reason. Apparently, my muse had a different idea. The next chapter is in the process of being written, but may take a bit longer to complete.

Words of warning, smut dead ahead.

I finally finished the soundtrack to this story. You can find the link on my my profile as well as my Tumblr.

There are only four more chapters left after this one unless I think of some other ideas to add to the story, so the plot will definitely pick up more in the next chapter. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think! :)

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

The next day after lunch, Laney set out to find the man she wanted to talk to as promised. She had the day off and had slept in until around ten, getting some more much-needed sleep and feeling rested. She hadn't seen Eric at all that day or much at all since their fight. Four had told her that he hadn't seen Eric since that morning in training. She had gone to Eric's office, figuring he would be in there, but Laney found his office dark and the door locked. The only other place she knew to look before asking someone was in his apartment.

While standing at his door, Laney took a minute to gather her thoughts. She thought about knocking, but thought otherwise in case he didn't answer for a reason. Keying in his code, she opened the door and headed inside. She knew from Four's description of Eric from that morning that the leader's mood was still not a good one.

Laney had lain awake in bed the night before for a little while before she was able to wind down enough to sleep, her thoughts on trying to figure out what she should do about her feelings for Eric. While she still wasn't any closer to a decision, Laney knew she had to know Eric's thoughts on her confession and get him to fess up on why he had been absent and angry with her as of late even before her declaration. Four had chalked Eric's behavior up to "typical ruthless leader behavior," but Laney thought there was more to it than that.

She certainly wasn't going to get any answers by avoiding Eric, so she had put on her big girl panties and realized she was being a coward for staying away from him.

Upon her first glance around his place, everything seemed to be dark and empty inside just like his office. Laney looked around the pristine living room and kitchen for any signs that Eric might be there, but found none. The place looked like it normally did—a vacant shell of a room with the only clue of someone inhabiting it was its level of cleanliness. Just as she was turning to leave, she heard some faint noises coming from his bedroom.

Making her way down the hallway, Laney stopped just outside Eric's bedroom door to listen. It sounded as if there were two people in the room, Eric's familiar grunts and groans quickly standing out. The more she listened, Laney heard another set of noises that were lower and muffled.

She swallowed when the realization of what was going on hit her like a ton of bricks. Part of Laney felt the same way that she had when she had caught Dean cheating on her and was about to retreat, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, but another part of her felt even worse. A few moments later after letting the bombshell sink in, Laney felt nothing but jealousy and anger toward the leader. He had blatantly lied to her and told her there was no one else. The first time it happened with Dean she had had no idea that he was probably unfaithful the two years of their entire relationship, but she wasn't about to be the same naive fool a second time.

Laney entered the room and shut the door rather loudly, making sure that Eric noticed her presence. She saw Eric standing at the foot of the bed, his hands gripping a pair of thighs of an unfamiliar girl with olive skin, jet black hair that was streaked with hot pink and neon green, and had more tattoos than a blank canvas of skin. The girl was lying face down on his mattress, oblivious to her surroundings, while he continued to drive into her relentlessly. Laney recognized the position well since it seemed to be a favorite of his.

As Eric turned to face the intruder, anger faded into slight shock briefly as he realized it was Laney, and then his face quickly morphed into a smug look. Eric continued to watch Laney as she stood there, trying to assess her reaction to her discovery. He figured that Laney would turn right around and run back out of his apartment, but then remembered she wasn't one to back down from a challenge. He was only marginally surprised when she stood her ground, but kept the smug look on his face.

Laney kept her face stoic, but inside she was boiling with anger. She continued to watch as Eric fucked the girl into oblivion and emphasized each of his movements, as if he were rubbing it in her face. She wanted to march over to him and punch that arrogant smirk off his face, but she wanted to do more to exact revenge. Keeping her cool somehow, Laney began to strip, instantly noticing Eric's face briefly change into one of confusion. She wasn't about to run off and cry, even though a part of her wanted to. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Once she was naked, Laney slowly made her way over to Eric without a word. He had stopped eyeing her as she moved behind him, trying to seem unfazed by her presence. She wasn't sure what her endgame was at the moment, but her plan was to tease the hell out of him and turn the tables in her favor. Laney wasn't one hundred percent sure that her plan would work, but she was willing to try if it meant messing with Eric a little bit.

She began by slowly running her hands down his back, the muscles instantly flexing at her touch. The action caused him to halt all movements momentarily, but he then resumed his former pace inside the girl, his grip on the girl's thighs tightening. Just a little bit of distraction towards Eric seemed to be having the right effect on Laney as her stomach began to clench. She did her best to focus all of her attention on him.

Laney smirked at her obvious effect on the leader and began to kiss down his expansive back, running her hands down his bulky arms. She knew when he released several guttural moans that her plan was working. After a few minutes, she began to use her tongue and teeth on his skin, running her nails lightly down his arms. Her hands then roamed down to his round butt, grabbing and squeezing each cheek in her hands.

"Get out, Laney," Eric attempted in a warning voice that only ended up sounding weaker than he intended.

"Make me."

Eric responded with a deep growl, but said nothing.

Eric's movements suddenly became erratic, and Laney wasn't sure if it was because he was trying to resist her advances or because he was about to climax. She easily pulled herself up on his back, wrapping her arms and legs around him to hold herself up. She began to kiss and bite on his neck where she knew he liked it.

"LJ," Eric mumbled nearly incoherently.

Laney only smirked even more. "I dare you to resist me," Laney whispered seductively into his ear so only he heard her, taking his gaged earlobe into her mouth and sucking lightly before releasing it shortly after.

"Fuck," Eric nearly yelled out, his resolve diminishing by the second. He knew if he wasn't careful and Laney pushed him much further, he would end up easily breaking the other girl's legs with his bare hands.

Laney glanced momentarily at the girl, still oblivious to her presence. She ran her tongue down the edges of his leadership tattoos, feeling some light stubble graze her tongue as she went. "Am I getting to you?"

She smirked as she felt a shudder go through him at the sound of her voice in his ear. "No," Eric replied, trying his best to sound unaffected by her.

"Is our fearless leader lying?" Laney taunted, running her hands down his chest and abs slowly to just above his length and going back up to further tease him.

"I said to get out," Eric retorted half-heartedly, still trying focus on the girl in front of him on the bed and to keep ignoring Laney's advances. "You won't want to find out what I'll do if you don't."

"Oh, I don't think you really mean that, Eric," Laney said with a confident smirk.

"LJ, stop," Eric nearly pleaded with her, his voice becoming desperate and his pace slowing immensely.

"Why should I? You and I both know that you'd rather be buried balls deep inside of me instead of her." Laney ran her tongue back up to his ear. "We both know she isn't doing anything for you. What's her name, anyway, Eric, hmm?"

"Why are you still here, Laney?" Eric asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh, I think you already know the answer to that." Laney paused, noticing Eric's eyes were now closed and his head tilted back. "But if you really want me to leave, then fine." She stopped teasing him and began to unwrap her arms and legs from around him.

It didn't take Eric long to realize that Laney was serious and instantly reacted to try to stop her retreat. He immediately let go of the girl on the bed, pulling out of her at the same time. He yanked off the condom wrapped around his hardened length, quickly tying the end of it and disposing of it in the nearby trashcan. He tugged Laney around to the front of his body quickly to put them on a more level playing field and to meet her challenge head on.

Laney had to brace herself against his towering form to keep herself upright and on her feet from the amount of force he used, his hard grip not loosening around her arm one bit.

The girl on the bed had finally realized that Eric was no longer paying her any attention and stood up, yelling at them both. "Um, excuse me, what the hell!?"

Eric quickly began to glare daggers at the girl for even daring to interrupt him. "Get out."

"I'm not going anywhere. You promised me a good time." The girl stood there defiantly, crossing her arms over her bare chest as if she were a spoiled child not getting her way.

"If you want to live to see daylight ever again and don't want your lifeless body to end up being dragged out of the chasm, I suggest you get the hell out of my apartment right this fucking second," Eric replied in a deadly commanding tone, one that Laney had only heard him use a few times before when he was beyond pissed. He wasn't yelling at the girl, which for Eric was far worse than when he was.

It didn't take the girl long to heed Eric's warning a second time, quickly grabbing and throwing on her discarded clothes as she ran out of the room, leaving them alone.

Laney watched the girl, mentally shaking her head at the girl's stupidity until she heard feet smacking across tile floor, glancing in the bathroom to see Eric thoroughly washing his hands. Laney shrugged, not blaming him for wanting to get rid of all the germs. She glanced around the room and made sure to pull off the comforter on Eric's bed just in case, leaving it on the floor to be washed later.

Eric quickly surprised Laney, backing her into the nearest wall, not wasting any more time before confronting Laney for her little stunt. "Are you sure you know what your getting yourself into, Little Laney?" Eric asked, using one of the nicknames that had been given to her during their initiation.

Laney noticed a couple of drops of water that had been missed trickle down Eric's skin before returning her attention back to the man in front of her. "I know exactly what I'm doing," Laney retorted, a determined look on her face even though she was cornered. "And while I may be little, I can easily hold my own, as you well know." Unable to stop herself from taking a peak, she noticed that Eric was still sporting a rather large erection that was steadily leaking. Swallowing and feeling more wetness pool between her legs at the sight, Laney returned her gaze quickly back to Eric's face before she lost it.

Eric smirked as he noticed her eyeing his naked form, knowing he was affecting her as well. "I seem to remember that we've been in this position before—you cock-blocking me on purpose—only I was injured at the time and you gained the upper hand. You're mighty brave to do it a second time when I'm fully capable of punishing you for it, little girl." Eric's hands tightened around Laney's arm.

Laney quickly swung her free hand up, slapping Eric's face before he took hold of it as well and pinned both of her arms to the wall above her head. While his hold wasn't hurting her hand a bit, it wasn't enough for her to remove the defiance written across her face and nothing she couldn't handle.

Eric barely flinched at the sudden slap, his glare at her worsening. He moved even closer to her, pressing every inch of him against her into the wall. "Either that, or you're deliberately being very stupid."

"What are you going to do about it? I didn't see you protesting any of my actions. Actually, I think you enjoyed it, and you did just kick that girl out on her ass willingly, I might add," Laney responded, pleased with herself for making Eric more flustered. "Your death threat was obviously very convincing of your desire for her to stay." She made sure the sarcasm was thick in her voice.

Eric growled lowly at her response, his gaze strong enough to burn holes into her. "I'm only going to offer this to you once," Eric started and then paused to make sure she understood his intentions. "If you want to leave, you better do it now."

Laney met his gaze head on once again. She didn't miss the warning in his voice, but it didn't deter or scare her, either. "Now, why would I want to do that? I came here for a reason."

Eric smirked inwardly at her returning his challenging stare. "You better hold on for dear life, then." He quickly grabbed her off the floor and pulled her into his strong arms, turning away from the wall.

"With pleasure," Laney replied, rolling her hips against his to further tease him.

Eric answered her by suddenly burying himself to the hilt inside of her, nearly losing it at the feeling and eliciting a loud gasp from Laney. He quickly began thrusting roughly up into her while holding her up with just his arms, his grip on her hips tightening to hold her up and his intense gaze never wavering from hers.

Laney instinctively wrapped her arms and legs back around him as he quickened his movements, doing her best to meet each of his violent thrusts while still meeting his stare to battle for dominance. At this angle, he was hitting just the right spot, sending shock waves through her body. Her nails dug into his skin, nearly drawing blood.

"I knew you couldn't resist me," Laney said tauntingly.

"Just because I wanted you doesn't meant that I can't resist you," Eric retorted in between grunts. "We both know that you did this out of jealousy."

"Sure, of course that's why I did it," Laney answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Eric quickly released her, sliding out of her and dropping her to the floor on her feet. He turned her around so her back was to him and swiftly scooped her back up into his arms, her legs spread and knees bent over them. He plunged back into her, resuming his rough pace.

Laney leaned back against Eric's solid chest, moaning loudly at the new position they were in. She grabbed a hold of his arms for support, finding it harder but much more satisfying to meet his thrusts.

Eric quickly moved back against one of the walls for added stability, shifting Laney a bit so that he was holding her up with one arm. He finally grabbed a hold of her jaw with his free hand, just shy of her throat, gripping it but not hurting her. His face went to her exposed neck, nuzzling it and taking in her scent. "You're going to learn one day that I don't like being disrespected."

"Oh, really?" Laney returned bitingly. "I think you don't like being shown up, especially by someone smaller and lacking real balls."

Eric tightened his grip on her neck a bit while quickening his pace even more, groaning as he did so. "Do you know how easily I could hurt you right now?"

"So do it," Laney challenged through her ragged breathing, trying to keep her resolve as her climax continued to build.

"I'd rather fuck your brains out," Eric retorted in a growl.

"I'm sure this alone gets you off—having control over me. That's all you care about is having control over _everything_."

"You better watch your mouth, LJ," Eric warned, tilting her head back further and grazing her throat with his fingers, barely adding any pressure against it. He began biting her skin as if searing his own brand to her.

"Or what?" Laney spat back, moaning at the feeling of his mouth and teeth on her skin.

"Or I'll find something to shut you up with," Eric threatened.

"Like what, idle threats?"

Eric gripped her throat just a bit to further drive his point home, causing her to gasp from lack of breath.

When he loosened his hand on her throat moments later, Laney coughed a bit. "Are you trying to prove to me that you could kill me if you wanted?"

"Maybe," Eric replied. "I have that kind of power if I wanted it."

"Of course, because my submission is all that matters to you," Laney retorted in a raspy voice. "That's all that's ever mattered to you."

"You're wrong," Eric quickly answered her.

"Prove it, then," Laney returned. "If I'm so different from the rest, prove it."

Eric quickly moved off the wall and threw Laney down onto his bed on her back with a bit of force, quickly following after her and crawling over her. He grabbed a hold of her legs and spread them as he wedged himself between them.

Laney watched curiously as he hovered over her, briefly catching a look of hesitation in his eyes that quickly disappeared seconds later behind a blank mask. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she still tried to catch her breath from their activities.

Eric took a deep breath and let his eyes run over her awaiting body underneath him. He noticed her skin was coated in a sheen of sweat, her hair damp and spread out over the bed. He quickly ran his fingers over her swollen numb, surprising her, as her body bucked up off the bed, eliciting a sound that was a mix of a whimper and a moan. He watched as her brown eyes meet his gray ones just as he began to slowly enter her once again.

He closed his eyes at the feeling of her slowly encasing him, moaning loudly at the feeling. Once Eric was completely sheathed inside her, he began to move agonizingly slow. He had to fight the growing urge to quicken his movements. He ran his rough hands up and down her thighs slowly instead of holding them in his usual bruising grip and began to kiss down her neck and shoulders to fight it.

Laney threw her head back while closing her eyes at the feeling of his slow and somewhat sensual movements and his lips and hands on her burning skin. Her hand went into his messy locks, gripping the longer hair on top that was now damp and curly from perspiration. She relished in his heavy form weighing her down into the mattress, wrapping her legs around his back to allow him to go deeper. His name fell from her lips as her orgasm began to near once again.

Eric continued his slow pace, concluding that he actually liked it and that the sensations were more intense than he would have thought. The foreign concept of making love was one that he had never tried or cared to try before. His feelings for Laney only seemed to further increase his desires, but he wouldn't allow his mind to veer into what that meant. He began to kiss down her neck softly, nipping on her skin as he went, his hands continuing their roaming over her soft flesh.

Laney ran her hands meticulously down his back, learning of every peak and valley of solid muscle along the way and receiving moans of approval from Eric at her touch. She tilted her head back to give him better access to her neck before reaching to pull his mouth to hers. She kissed him with all the passion she felt for him.

Eric had sped his movements up slightly, but was still being deliberately slow as he continued to prove to Laney that she wasn't like anyone else he had been with. When she began to kiss him, he could feel that she was putting everything she had in them. He willingly returned her passion-filled kisses, briefly thinking that he could get used to them before forcing the thought from his mind.

As Laney's climax hit her, she arched her back into him, her body tingling all over and vision blurring. Her grip around Eric's neck tightened just a bit as a loud moan left her mouth. She could feel Eric wasn't far behind as his length began throbbing within her as her walls clenched around him.

After riding out her orgasm, she began kissing Eric's neck and down his chest to help him reach his own release. "I love you."

As he spilled into her, Eric closed his eyes and gripped the sheets underneath them. His climax was powerful, but felt different somehow. He managed somehow to fall to the side of Laney on the bed so he wouldn't crush her under his weight. While he had had many lovers in many different ways over the years, Eric knew he would remember this particular time above the others for a while. As Eric laid there holding a sleepy Laney, he finally allowed himself to mull over what she had said to him for the second time for a few moments before he got up quickly off the bed.

Laney sat up and watched him, wondering if she had upset him with her words. "Where are you going?"

"To shower; I've got a meeting. You better be gone when I come out," Eric replied dismissively in his usual agitated tone as he gathered her discarded clothes from the floor and tossed them at her on the bed.

She watched him quickly head into the bathroom without looking back at her and shut the door behind him none too gently. Laney sat watching the door for a few moments before sighing and getting up to get dressed. Just before exiting Eric's bedroom, she looked once more at the closed bathroom door, listening to the sounds of the running water through the wall. She fought the urge to go in after him, but knew he wanted to be alone.

"We're not done yet," Laney said to herself before leaving the apartment.


	18. Chapter 17

Another update! I'm surprised, too, lol. Most of this chapter came a lot easier to me than I thought it would since the last few had been difficult to finish, but I'm not complaining. Hopefully this long chapter will make up for my lack of updating recently as well. I'm not sure how long it will be until the next chapter because I start my new job on Monday, but I hope it'll be soon.

As I said last chapter, we dive into our plot once again and things get interesting. I know none of you were very happy with Eric last chapter, so hopefully this makes up for that a little. We sort of get his perspective on things in this chapter. I will admit that I nearly got emotional when writing the last part of the chapter. I have no idea why, lol. I guess it's because I'm so attached to these characters. I also think my muse doesn't like them fighting, either. ;)

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations, so read at your own risk.

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

Laney walked down the dark, empty hallway toward the training room after leaving her shift at the infirmary. It was nearing three, and her plans for the afternoon were to meet up with Four to hang out after training ended for the day. Stage One of initiation ended in a few days, ending the physical portion of initiation, and hopefully opening up Eric's busy schedule a bit.

Part of her hoped that she saw the leader while she took in the last bit of training for the day, but she wouldn't engage him if she did. Laney hadn't seen or spoken to Eric since their heated encounter two days earlier, but she would give him another couple of days before she took matters into her own hands and confronted him to get an explanation from him for all of his recent actions.

It was cooler than usual during initiation, giving the depths at which housed part of Dauntless a chill in the air. She regretted her decision to wear only leggings and a tank for work that morning, crossing her arms over her chest for extra warmth as she continued down the hallway. She was over halfway between the infirmary and the training room when she heard a noise from behind her. Just as she turned her head to see what the sound was, Laney suddenly felt a pain spread over the back of her head as everything went black.

After nearly ten minutes of being unconscious, Laney awoke lying on the floor. Rubbing the back of her head that now throbbed, she felt a small bump where she had been struck. At least it didn't seem to be bleeding. Laney remembered then that she had been knocked out on her way to the training room and found herself lying in the same hallway she had been in.

Shifting into a sitting position slowly, being mindful that she might have a concussion or another head injury from the blow, Laney felt a slight sting in her neck, bringing her hand down from her head to her pulse point. A small abrasion was present on her skin, confusion about how it had gotten there taking over her thoughts.

Laney would discuss what happened later with Four and get him to check the camera feeds. She stood slowly out of precaution, though felt only the effects of the bump on her head and the light sting in her neck, nothing else plaguing her at all. She was pretty sure that she didn't have a concussion because she felt none of the symptoms that had afflicted her after Eric had given her one five years earlier during their initiation. She then headed onto the training room moments later, perplexed but not really worried about what had happened since she seemed to be fine. She would stop by the infirmary for a check-up later just to be safe.

Upon reaching the training room and wandering inside, Laney found two of the female initiates fighting on the mat, recognizing them immediately as Mira and Sloane. They weren't the weakest ones there, but they weren't the best, either. Sloane was tall and lanky while Mira was petite and even thinner, although both of the former Candors had gained a small amount of muscle during the past four and a half weeks. It seemed they both were having a hard time trying to best the other.

Laney saw Four standing on the side of the mat with his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze trained on the pair in front of him. Her eyes then landed on Eric, who was also fully engaged in studying the fight, standing a few feet away from Four. It was obvious to Laney just from one thorough look that Eric was frustrated at the weaker initiates mostly just circling around each other on the mat instead of attacking. Laney could easily tell he was none too pleased by the scowl that he wore, the furrowing of his brows, and the clenching of his fists even with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Stop playing with each other," Eric muttered in a warning that screamed he was about to lose what little patience he had left. Laney could tell he was becoming more frustrated by the second, waiting to pounce on the weak initiates that were currently proving they should have stayed in Candor.

Laney walked further into the room quietly, going unnoticed by the two instructors and only garnering the attention of a few of the other initiates that stood around the ring as she walked toward the crowd. She made her way quietly over to Four, who looked up at her briefly when she reached his side before moving his attention back to the mat in front of him.

When Mira knocked Sloane out a few minutes later, Eric growled in frustration at their lack of ability to impress him. "There should be no hesitation or fear of fighting at this point. Stage One ends in three days and you all have one more fight before then. Most of you will be lucky if you're not Factionless because of your inept abilities," Eric called out in anger as his eyes landed on Laney, finally noticing her presence, before returning his angry gaze back to the initiates. "Be thankful that I cannot cut you just because you disappoint me, or each and every one of you would have been gone the second you stepped foot into the compound."

Everyone stood quietly, most of the initiates afraid to even look at Eric at the moment in case he chose to take his anger out on them.

"Four, get in the ring," Eric began after a few moments of silence.

Four glanced at him with a questioning look, but didn't hesitate to obey the leader. He took his boots off and made his way onto the mat.

"LJ, since you're here, join him," Eric said in a somewhat more calm but hard voice.

"Excuse me?" Laney asked, her surprise more evident than Four's.

"You heard me," Eric retorted, glaring at her for questioning his authority. "Get in the ring."

Laney sighed and did as she was told, not wanting to piss Eric off anymore than he already was. She could defy and challenge him all she wanted to behind closed doors, but to do so in front of the initiates while he was in leader mode and on a power trip would be completely and utterly stupid. She removed her boots and socks, joining Four on the mat and awaiting further instructions.

"These two are going to show you what a real fight looks like. You better be paying attention because I won't be doing you anymore favors like this again," Eric said thoroughly annoyed.

Laney looked at Eric and swore she saw a hint of a smirk on his lips for the briefest of moments at the thought of pitting Four and Laney against each other, but the look was gone as soon as it appeared. Part of her wondered if this was punishment for her actions at trying to best him again. Eric was infamous for holding a grudge, after all, and it didn't help that they were already at odds.

Taking their places across from one another, Laney could tell by the look that Four was giving her that he didn't want to fight her. Deep down, Laney knew that she didn't want to do this, either, but something was surging her forward. Neither of them could disobey a direct order without having Eric's wrath rain down on them.

Getting in their defensive stances, feeling every eye in the room on them, they awaited Eric's command to begin. Laney couldn't remember a time that she and Four had fought that hadn't been sparing for fun or just brushing up on things since their initiation days when they fought early on during the first stage before either knew what they were doing. It was obvious that Four had the advantage, but Laney wasn't about to let that slow her down.

"Regular rules apply—you fight until one of you can no longer continue or until I tell you to stop. No conceding or half-assed attempts, either," Eric announced after giving them a few minutes to get focused. He moved his arms behind his back, watching the two intently.

Four looked like he was about to finally protest Eric's commands, clearly not happy about being forced to fight his best friend as if she were the enemy or a lowly initiate, but before he could object Eric signaled for them to be begin.

Laney began to circle the ring, bouncing on her toes a bit, closing in on Four after a few moments. She quickly threw her fist towards his face only to have it blocked, and then threw her other fist hard into Four's stomach seconds later. Although Four groaned and didn't expect the blow, it did little to affect him, and he returned the favor by sending a punch to her jaw, forcing Laney to stumble back away from him a bit.

She quickly recovered, ignoring the throb in her chin. Laney ran and swiftly kicked at him, only to have Four grab her leg and toss her onto the mat as if she were no real threat. She got up instantly, once again running towards him again. She faked a lunge at him and landed a punch straight to his throat. Laney quickly sent another punch into his side while he was thrown off briefly before he recovered a moment later.

Four threw a hard punch at her face, hitting her mouth and busting her lip open. She felt the blood trickle down her chin and into her mouth, but ignored it. She kicked at his leg, trying to take him down again, only for Four to grab hold of it and send her backwards on the mat once again. Laney was fast becoming frustrated and felt anger building inside her at her inability to outsmart and land a proper hit against the former Abnegation. She jumped back up onto her feet ripe with determination.

Laney charged at Four, sending a punch to his side only to have him grab her arm and pull it behind her back, turning her so that her back was against his chest. With her opposite arm, she tried to elbow Four in the face, but he dodged her hit. She stomped on his foot and Four released her from the hold he had her in. She stretched her arm a bit, trying to ignore the discomfort in it from being twisted at such an odd angle.

"Come on, Laney, you can do better than that," Eric muttered, his deep voice echoing in the otherwise quiet room, nearly sounding bored already at the display.

Laney sent a glare his way before spitting some of the blood from within her mouth in his direction as a retort for singling her out that landed just in front of his feet, quickly turning her attention back to Four.

Eric sent her a heated glower at the gesture, but kept his thoughts to himself.

Laney noticed a slight curl to Four's lips momentarily before his face became impassive as the two circled each other. She sensed that Four was holding back on her, but not enough to make it obvious, the realization making her even more furious. She swiftly lunged at Four before he realized what she was doing, Four easily catching her in his arms. Laney began to lay into him, landing several punches to his face before he threw her backwards out of his hold.

She threw all of her momentum into her legs and flipped backwards in mid-air, managing to shakily land on her feet. Laney noticed blood running down Four's nose from her assault, but the sight seemed to spur her on. She faked another lunge at Four only to kick at his legs, managing to catch him by surprise. She didn't knock him down, but it did throw him off balance for a second or two, allowing her to get behind him long enough to jump up on his back like she had with Eric in their sparing match. Her legs pinned Four's arms to his legs as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and she soon felt him breaking her hold and flipping her over his head just as Eric had. She rolled when she hit the floor to try to lessen the pain, but laid there on her back panting.

"She's had enough, Eric," Four stated as he went over to stand beside Laney to helped her up.

When Four reached his hand down for Laney to grab, she smirked internally. He was doing exactly what she had hoped. She sat up and grabbed hold of Four's hand, yanking him down beside her.

"I'll tell you when I've had enough," Laney said bitingly as she sprung to her feet before beginning to kick Four in the stomach several times. Just before he was about to get up, she pinned him down to the mat, straddling him, and began to punch savagely at his face, chest, and stomach without stopping. Rage was running through her, and the more she hurt Four, it seemed to intensify.

Before she could do any further damage to her best friend, Eric quickly grabbed a hold of her, his yells to get her attention failing. Laney went to thrashing in his arms, not liking it at all that she was being dragged away from the fight. He grabbed her around the waist and pinned her arms to her with her other hand.

"Let go of me, Eric!" Laney shouted as she continued to try to break free from Eric's death grip on her.

"No chance in hell," Eric retorted as he carried her away from the ring. "Get him to the infirmary," Eric commanded to some of the initiates that seemed to just stand there dumbfounded at the scene they had just witnessed.

Laney had no idea where Eric was taking her, but he was heading out of the training room at a fast pace. Laney managed to throw her head back, smacking Eric in the jaw, and he released her momentarily.

He grunted in pain, but grabbed hold of Laney's wrist before she could even think about running away from him. "Laney, stop." Throwing her over his shoulder and grabbing a hold of her legs with one arm, he quickened his pace and grabbed his phone, dialing the infirmary.

Laney was too busy trying to punch and slap his back with her bloody fists to pay attention to what Eric was saying on the phone and could no longer tell which way they were headed. She heard some other voices coming closer to them after a couple of minutes, but didn't bother to listen to figure out who they belonged to. She kept thrashing and trying her best to get Eric to release her, to no avail. It wasn't long before Laney felt a quick stab of pain in her arm, and she quickly began to fade until she passed out.

* * *

Laney awoke feeling extremely tired and groggy. Her entire body felt like it was weighed down by concrete, and it was a struggle just to move her arms and legs. Groaning at the bright light invading her eyes, she buried her face to hide the offensive intrusion. A very familiar, intoxicating smell invaded her senses, making her more aware of her surroundings as she faintly registered it as Eric's bed. Squinting a little before opening her eyes fully, Laney looked down at the pillow, letting her eyes adjust to the small amount of light filtering in.

"Be careful," a deep voice commented beside her that she instantly recognized as Eric's. "That was a potent sedative I had given to you. It packs quite the punch. You've been out for a few hours."

Laney lifted her head slowly, her eyes landing on the blonde leader sitting on the bed beside her. She groaned as she sat up, feeling a bit woozy. She felt immediately as Eric's hands reached over to steady her. She eyed him, noticing a couple of bruises on his face. "What happened?" she asked, her thoughts still a bit fuzzy.

"You flipped the fuck out when you fought Four," Eric answered. "You don't remember?"

Laney ran her tongue over her lips, feeling some stitching and some pain as she did, trying to reign in her jumbled thoughts. "Yeah, vaguely, but it's like I was watching it happen from somewhere else."

"You were in a sim, Laney," Eric said, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. He ran his fingers over her pulse point that stung upon contact where the needle had been injected, making her remember everything.

"What?" Laney asked surprised. "How? Is that why I was jumped in the hallway earlier?"

"After one of the nurses injected the sedative into you, I noticed the injection site on your neck. It was done by someone not used to handling needles, obviously, and they injected it in a hurry or your skin wouldn't be irritated like that." He paused a moment as if debating on whether to continue or not, noticing her becoming fidgety at his revelations.

"I had a feeling that you had been injected with something to make you act that way, and wasn't sure at first, but after I got you back here, I did a test. There was serum in your blood, confirming my suspicions, and after seeing the events unfold in the training room, I did some digging. It didn't take me long to figure out which serum it was."

"Which serum, and why didn't you take me to the infirmary?"

"No one is supposed to know about this serum, and I can't tell you what it's supposed use is for or what it does because it's highly classified. I don't know everything about it myself. All I can tell you is that Erudite has been trying to refine it after testing because the early versions of the serum had adverse side effects on some of the test subjects, which is what I believe has happened to you," Eric explained matter-of-factly as if he had no emotional ties to the incident.

Laney studied him as he continued his explanations, but noticed he was wearing his usual steel mask. For what reasons, she had no idea. It made her briefly question if she hadn't misjudged how he felt about her from the beginning, but it was Eric, after all.

"Most of the reactions have been as if the test subjects were injected with a large amount of steroids—more than the human body can withstand at once. If we hadn't sedated you when we did to calm you down and essentially bring you out of the sim, the effects would have most likely been fatal. Your vitals were through the roof." His voice turned a bit more sympathetic, letting a bit of emotion show on his face finally as his lips turned down at his words.

Laney remained quiet, not really knowing what to say at the moment. Part of her wondered why Eric had any knowledge of what Erudite was even doing in the first place, but she had more important things to worry about at the moment and shifted her thoughts elsewhere.

When he saw Laney had no comment, Eric continued. "I had the cameras checked, and the person who knocked you out earlier to inject you had his or her face covered. It's impossible from the feed to tell who it was. I promise you, though, that we will find out who did this to you." His eyes became hard once again at the thought.

Laney swallowed and looked at her hands for a moment in silence, noticing the dried blood on them as well as numerous cuts and bruises on her knuckles. "Why'd you do it?" Her voice was low, almost as if she were whispering.

"What?" Eric asked, looking at her for further clarification.

Laney's eyes met his, obvious anger in them. "Why did you force Four and I to fight like that?" She drew out her words for extra emphasis.

"Laney, I didn't know the serum was in your system," Eric explained. "He's going to be fine. You gave him a good beating, but he'll live."

"That doesn't matter, Eric! You made me fight my best friend, and I ended up nearly killing him because of it." She did her best not to think about the fact that she could have been killed also. Laney was trying to keep her emotions in check, but Eric's recent actions weren't helping matters. She scooted slowly to the edge of the bed, standing up cautiously.

"LJ, what are you doing?" Eric asked, jumping up to her aid in case she were to stumble or fall.

"I'm going to go see Four," Laney answered, noticing her balance was a bit wobbly. She saw Eric grab hold of her arm. Whether he was helping to stabilize her or stop her from leaving, she didn't know.

"Laney, you shouldn't be going anywhere yet. You need to let the sedative wear off completely, first," Eric advised, wrapping his arm around her back.

Laney glared at Eric, noticing him eyeing her legs and feet to make sure they would hold her up. She took that opportunity to punch Eric in the face as hard as she could, her fist connecting with his nose. Laney grimaced at the throb in her hand, but ignored it. She noticed immediately that blood was running down from his nostrils as Eric groaned and quickly cupped his face with both hands, releasing her from his hold.

"What the fuck!?" Eric bellowed, his nose throbbing in pain. "I think you just broke my nose."

"That's for being a complete and utter dick lately, and for making me fight Four for your own sick, twisted pleasure. Don't even try to deny it." Laney shook her hand that hurt from the hard punch, but she could take a little more pain if it meant causing Eric some in return.

After a moment, she noticed Eric doubling over in pain and released a sigh. She went to grab a washrag from within his bathroom and wet it, coming back out. Laney made her way over to him, pulling his hands away so she could inspect the injury. "This may hurt, but I need to check it."

Eric howled in pain as he watched Laney check his nose to see if it was indeed broken or not, blood still gushing out of his nostrils.

"I don't think it's broken. Here, hold this on there, and tilt your head back." Laney placed the wet rag underneath his nose to stop the bleeding, grabbing Eric's hand to hold the rag in place. She quickly slipped on her boots by the bed and grabbed his arm, pulling her with him.

"Where are we going?" Eric asked, his voice muffled by the rag.

"We're going to the infirmary. I'm going to see Four, and you're going to get your nose checked out further because I don't trust my judgment right now," Laney answered in explanation to only receive an annoyed groan from Eric behind her.

"If you hadn't punched me, I wouldn't have to get checked out in the first place," Eric grumbled.

"Shut up, Eric, you deserved it. I don't regret hitting you, and I won't have a problem doing it again." Laney stopped and glared at him, daring him to say something else.

Eric only returned her icy glare, not saying anything else as they continued their trek to the infirmary.

* * *

Laney felt like hell the next day, physically and emotionally, but insisted on working that afternoon, anyway. She had suffered only a few cuts and bruises and felt that that didn't warrant a day off. In all honesty, Laney didn't want a day off to think about the hell her life had been the last few weeks; she needed something to occupy her thoughts.

As soon as she got to the infirmary, she made sure to check up on Four once again. His face was stitched in a few places, most of his tan skin already black and blue, and he was lucky she hadn't broken anything. When she got to his bed, Laney noticed Four was now fully alert.

He turned his brown eyes to her and smiled a bit. Laney saw that he was shirtless, but still wore his pants from the day before. She noticed a couple of bandages along with several large bruises on his arms and chest, frowning at the sight of them.

"Hey, LJ," Four said, acting as if he was just happy to know she was doing okay and he hadn't gotten beaten up at all.

"Hey, Four," Laney responded quietly with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "How are you feeling? Again, I am so sorry."

"It's not as bad as it looks, LJ, so don't feel bad. It was _not_ your fault. Plus, they gave me some of the good stuff." His lips turned up into a small smirk at that.

Laney shook her head, rubbing his arm where he was bruise-free softly. "I know they did. I told them to make sure you weren't in any pain."

"Thanks for that." Four shifted in the bed, groaning as he did so. "Eric came by this morning."

Laney scowled at the mention of Eric. "Oh, really? I'm surprised he even bothered."

"Well, it wasn't just to check on me. He came to get some pain meds," Four answered.

"Well, he shouldn't have stupidly refused them yesterday," Laney replied with a roll of her eyes. "Everyone told him he would need them, including me, but he insisted that he wouldn't."

"I can't believe you nearly broke his nose." Four chuckled a bit at the thought. "His face was very colorful this morning."

"I'm sure he's still not happy with me for doing that." Laney crossed her arms over her chest, sitting down on the edge of the bed carefully. "Not that he's been happy with me recently, anyway."

"Well, he wasn't particularly thrilled, but he actually sort of admitted that he may have deserved it."

"Hell must have frozen over, then," Laney commented with a snort as she looked down at her jeans and began to pick at the loose threads on them.

Four watched his friend as Laney got quiet. "He told me what happened yesterday, LJ. Are you okay, honestly? I know you've been having a rough time lately, and I know that what happened yesterday didn't make things any easier for you."

Laney met Four's eyes at his inquiry. "I'm fine, Four. It's nothing you can help me with." She stood up, not really in the mood to get into anything at the moment. "I should get to work. Let me know if you need anything." She began walking off in a bit of a hurry, not wanting to think about Eric or who might have attempted to kill her.

"You need to talk to him, Laney," Four called out loud enough for her to hear him before she could get very far.

Laney stopped a few feet away, sighing before turning back around. "Why should I bother, Four? You were right. Clearly, I mean nothing to him."

"LJ, if you don't get this straightened out, it's going to eat away at you. You need to find out where you two stand and settle it, despite everything that's happened between you the last few weeks. You need to do this for you, not him. And I mean really talk things out, not have sex with him."

Laney nodded in agreement. "I'll talk to him."

"Good. And once I get out of here later today and feel more like myself, I'm going to find out who tried to kill you. Even if it means I have to work with Eric to do it," Four promised.

Laney smiled and leaned over to hug Four as gently as possible. "Thanks, Four."

Four hugged his friend as hard as the pain would allow him to, thankful he still had her in his life. "No problem, LJ, I'm just glad that you're okay."

* * *

It was after two in the morning, and Laney was wide awake. She had slept a couple of hours after she got off work early around three after making sure Four got situated at home. She had stayed with him the rest of the afternoon and part of the night to keep an eye on him. Her thoughts were racing far too much for her to even attempt to sleep at the moment. Groaning in frustration, Laney threw the covers off and got up out of bed. She dug into her drawer for a tank, a sports bra, and a pair of shorts, quickly changing clothes and putting on her sneakers. She decided to leave her hair in the braid she had put it in before going to bed.

As she left her apartment, her intended destination was the training room to work off some steam, hoping it would exhaust her enough to help her sleep. As she got into the elevator, she hesitated from pushing the button that would take her down. Before Laney could change her mind, she found herself going up instead. When she reached the floor above her, she stepped out of the elevator, finally taking notice of how quiet everything was.

Heading where she knew she probably shouldn't, Laney trudged ahead before she could stop herself. She didn't even hesitate at the door this time before letting herself into the familiar apartment. Making her way to the back bedroom as if on a mission, Laney opened the door to find Eric asleep. Thankfully, he was alone and not in the same position he was in the previous time she had walked in on him. Laney nearly gagged at the thought before forcing the disgusting image out of her mind.

Laney watched Eric sleep a minute, listening to his even breaths and light snores. His curtain on the opposite side of the room was left half open, letting in just enough outside light from the nearby street lights and the bright stars to allow her to see everything in the room well enough once her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She cracked her knuckles out of habit as she sat in the chair in the darkened corner of the room facing Eric's back, trying to formulate a plan in her head.

A few minutes later, she abandoned the idea of thinking altogether and stood up on her feet. Laney quietly made her way over to Eric's bed and slowly slid her hand underneath his pillow, feeling for the gun that she knew from experience that he hid there. Laney had to be careful since she was only inches away from his face, so close she could feel his hot breath on her skin. When she found the weapon, Laney slid it carefully out from under the pillow and slid it into the waistband of her shorts.

Making her way back over to the chair in the corner as quietly as possible, she grabbed his newest medicine bottle on her way, skimming over the label as she sat back down. Laney gauged the distance and lined up her shot with her intended target a minute before throwing the bottle at him. She watched as it sailed over to Eric and smacked him in the butt with a hard thump. Laney did her best not laugh as Eric shot up in the bed in nothing but black boxer briefs, his hair sticking up in several places, instinctively reaching for his weapon under his pillow, and looking around frantically when he realized it was gone.

Eric was up off the bed in a second, turning over his pillows as if in a panic over his gun being missing. When he didn't see it and was satisfied there was no immediate threat in his room, he threw back all the covers, completely messing up his bed. He saw the pill bottle and picked it up before tossing it back on the nightstand. Still not seeing his weapon, he dove to the floor and looked underneath his bed. If Laney had been in the right mood, she would have busted out laughing by now at the sight.

Seeing that Eric was swiftly becoming agitated as he sat up in squatting position on the other side of the bed, Laney pulled out his gun from her shorts, making sure to be careful with it and pointed it at the floor while taking the safety off. He still hadn't spotted her sitting there across the room.

She cocked the gun, the sound echoing loudly in the quiet room, seeing Eric instantly freeze at the sound. "Looking for something?"

When Eric's lethal gaze finally landed on her, Laney waved with a smug expression. It didn't take him long to get onto his feet and move around the king-sized bed to stand a few feet in front her, trying his best to intimidate her with his looks and stance alone.

"What the hell are you doing in my room with my gun at 2:30 in the morning? Are you trying to scare me or something?" He paused a moment, which Laney guessed was for added effect. "We both know you're not going to shoot me."

Laney raised her brow at his comment as if tempted and rolled her eyes. "Don't get your panties in a wad, geez," Laney answered before resetting the safety on the gun and twirled the weapon around her finger twice before holding it out to him. "I only took it so you wouldn't threaten me with it. I know how much you just love being woken up at night."

Eric quickly grabbed the pistol from her extended hand and set it on the nightstand. "What are you doing here, Laney?" Eric asked in an annoyed tone, crossing his hands over his bare chest.

"I'm here to talk," Laney answered plainly. She could see the bruises on his face that she had put there, even in the darkness of the room.

"Seriously? It's the middle of the night, and you want to talk?"

"Well, I figured you have nothing else going on, and I was wide awake." Laney shrugged her shoulders.

"I was trying to sleep before you woke me up by hitting me in the ass with my medicine bottle. Thanks for that, by the way." Eric was obviously displeased and made sure to point that out.

"You're welcome," Laney answered in a snarky tone just to further irritate him.

"Just because you can't sleep doesn't give you the right to keep me awake, too. I have important things to do in the morning."

Laney snorted. "And I don't?"

"You are not a leader tasked with running a faction," Eric argued.

Laney sat up further in the chair, becoming peeved at Eric's words. "Don't act all high and mighty with me, Eric Coulter. I finished fourth in our initiation—two spots below you—and I was the highest ranked female in our class. I could have chosen a more prominent job position if I had wanted it."

Eric looked away from her, clearly growing bored at their current conversation. "I know you didn't come here to argue about our ranks in initiation five years ago, Laney, so what did you really come here to talk about?"

Laney sent him a glare at his bored, dismissive expression, sighing as she relented and forced herself to calm down. Picking her feet up and pulling them underneath her, she began to get comfortable.

"If you're going to put your feet in my chair, at least take your shoes off, first," Eric retorted exasperatedly as if she were completely incompetent.

Laney looked at Eric and rolled her eyes at him exaggeratedly, knowing he hated the gesture unless he was doing it himself. "Fine." She pulled her sneakers off and dropped them onto the floor, remaining in her socks and tucking her feet underneath her. She watched as Eric sat down on his messy bed across from her with his feet in the floor. Laney was surprised he was leaving it in its current state as she began cracking her knuckles and neck to further stall and annoy him.

Doing his best to hold back a biting comment about her blatant display of rolling her eyes at him and trying to piss him off, it didn't take him long to become impatient with her. "Come on, Laney, today."

Laney held back a comment and pushed ahead. "First, I want to ask you a question and get an honest answer."

"Ok, go ahead." Eric motioned for her to continue.

"I know we've never really been exclusive or anything, but why did you lie to me?" Laney watched him to gauge his reactions. "I mean, that is one of your biggest pet peeves, is it not?"

"About?" Eric asked for further clarification, his hands gripping the edge of the mattress.

Laney did her best to hide her emotions and keep her voice even. She had done well so far, but now that it was getting down to the nitty gritty, she could tell things weren't about to get any easier. "You told me you hadn't slept with anyone else since we began seeing each other, or whatever you want to call it, and then I walk in on you fucking someone else. That's kind of hypocritical of you, Eric."

Eric was quick to answer. "I didn't lie to you when I said that because that was the only time it happened."

"And I'm just supposed to believe you?" Laney asked, raising her brow.

"Yes, you are."

"Then why would you do it, Eric? Do you know how painful that was for me walk in on? I understand that you aren't my boyfriend or anything, but after you tell me that it's only been me for two months, I expect that to be the case. I've been lied to and cheated on before, Eric, and I'm not the same naive little girl anymore that's going to let it slide."

"Trust me, I know that," Eric replied in agreement. She noticed his face soften a little. "I never meant for you to walk in on that or hurt you, and I'm sorry for that. Why do you think I pretty much let you get away with your whole revenge plot?"

"Why'd you do it, then? We both know that you weren't into it, or you wouldn't have kicked her out without a second thought to have your wicked way with me instead." Laney watched him, seeing a hint of guilt on his face as he looked at the floor. She held back tears threatening to fall. She was not about to cry in front of Eric if she could help it.

Eric shook his head with a sigh, his words sounding as if they were hard for him to say. "I was trying to see if I could go back to my old ways, to how things were before I got injured and got to know you again. Things were so much simpler then, and I knew exactly what I was doing then."

Laney shifted in the chair, laying her knees to the side so they leaned against the arm of the chair. "That's not the only thing I wanted to talk about. I also wanted to ask you why you've been acting the way you have. You've been acting like the old you, the you I would never want to be around."

"It's none of your business why I've been acting the way I have," Eric began, trying to deflect her inquiry. He looked up at her, noticing her head looking at her lap and not missing the unshed tears in her eyes that she was obviously holding back as hard she could. He sighed, dropping his facade. "Look, Laney, it's not you."

"Really, you're going to use that pathetic excuse?"

"No, listen to me," Eric said raising his voice a bit to get her attention.

Laney remained quiet, but met his gaze.

When her brown eyes met his gray ones, Eric saw the hurt in them. He fought the growing urge to go to and comfort her. He looked around with hesitation before meeting her questioning gaze once again.

"Before I became a leader, I basically signed my life away to get where I am now at such a fast pace, and, now, I'm paying for it. I can't go into any specifics, but I'm being forced to do things I don't want you even remotely close to. You can't be involved with any of this at all. There are things that I've done and am going to have to do that you would absolutely abhor."

Laney swallowed, but let him continue.

"After my accident, I didn't have access to any part of my job because I was basically useless. My "assignment" was to get better and to heal so I could get back to the person I'm expected to be. You weren't supposed to be in the picture, but Max thought with you helping me out I would heal faster. When I said I never planned for you, either, that night, I meant it. Never in a million years did I think that this would turn into more than just a fling or a good time. I've never wanted to get involved with anyone for that very reason, but also because I've been taught that emotions and being happy were weakness my entire life, even after I transferred.

"Those few weeks that you took care of me and nursed me back to health felt different, and I felt free somehow. Like I was a different person, but still me. I allowed myself to be happy for the first time in I don't even remember when, and I know it's all because of you. I began to care about you and feel things I'd never felt for anyone before. A deep, dark part of me wants to go back to that again, but I know it's not possible. When I went back to work, I was hit with a stark reality that I can't be that person. I don't have that luxury. Being who I am is all I know and all that's expected of me." His voice and expression had become softened somewhere in the middle of his explanation.

"And I've never once faulted you for being who you are or tried to make you someone you're not," Laney quickly pointed out. "I may butt heads and fight with you over some things, but I understand that if I'm going to get any part of you it's going to come with both the good and the bad. I realize you have an important job to do and a faction to run. I realize there are times when you have to be the hard, ruthless leader, and it's necessary at times to protect this city. But when you were injured, and even after that, you showed me that that isn't all there is to you."

Laney stood up, going over to him on the bed, not exactly sure what she was doing.

Eric stood quickly and moved away from the bed and from her. "I didn't know what this was, and I still don't, but you were not supposed to fall in love with me. Love is not something that I know how to deal with, and you've told me that you're in love with me twice. I don't know what you're expecting from that, but I cannot love you, Laney. All I'm ever going to end up doing is hurting you in the end. That's all I'm capable of. You should have stayed away from me." Eric's voice had slipped back into his hard tone.

Laney moved in front of him, halting his movements. She gripped a part of his chin that wasn't bruised in her hand gently, making him look down at her, feeling his stubble against her skin. She noticed a war raging within his eyes as if he was fighting with himself. "Eric, look at me," Laney said sternly.

When Eric finally turned his eyes to hers, he kept his face impassive, trying to put his walls back up.

"Eric, I know that's not true. You are capable of so much more if you just let yourself be. You're the person that's holding you back. You can still be that guy that you were when you were injured, and even if you can't, I don't care." Laney stared into his eyes, her gaze not wavering from his.

Eric quickly grabbed hold of Laney's wrist of the hand holding his chin in a harsh grip, pulling her so close to him that his nose was brushing against hers, nearly making her lose her balance and causing her socked feet to nearly slip out from under her. His eyes were icy and angry as he stared back at her.

"I don't have a fucking a choice, Laney." His voice was full of venom as Eric enunciated every word to make sure they were plain as day to her.

Laney cringed at her wrist nearly being crushed by Eric's unyielding grip, but held back the scream she so desperately wanted to release from the rising pain. She had been forced on her tip toes when Eric pulled her to him, her free hand splayed against his solid chest to hold her up.

"We all make our own choices, Eric, one way or another," Laney choked out, trying not to sound as weak as she felt at the moment. Tears streamed down her cheeks against her will to hold them in as Eric tightened his grip. "I've already made mine."

Eric stood there processing each word that she said to him a minute, his expression and anger still present along with his ever tightening grip on her wrist.

The silence was nearly deafening to Laney as she stood there watching the man she loved. If Eric kept gripping her any harder, her wrist was bound to be broken easily from his immense strength. She could see the wheels turning in his head as he stared at her, almost as if he were no longer there mentally. Laney tasted the salty tears in her mouth that were still running down her cheeks, not even noticing that she was sniffling, urging her forward.

"I may have helped you get better when you were injured, but you helped me see what I was missing in my life. You made me remember why I chose to be Dauntless in the first place. You've made me feel alive again, Eric. You; you did that. You've made me want to be stronger and make me want to live my life again. I want to live it with you, by your side, in whatever capacity you'll let me." Laney paused, clearing her throat.

"You don't know what you're saying, Laney," Eric began before being interrupted.

"I don't care what they make you do, and I don't care what bad things you do or have done in the past. I love you, I love all of you, and nothing is going to change that." Laney forced her voice to become stronger even though she felt it becoming weaker the more she cried.

"Well then, you're pretty stupid to love someone who is incapable of love," Eric responded, his voice a bit softer, but still hard.

"You may be a ruthless, pain in the ass leader, but you're a damn good one. You got where you are all on your own without any help, and you don't need anyone to live your life for you. Are you going to continue to let them dictate everything for you, or are you going make your own choices?" Laney's voice was almost unrecognizable, pain evident and her throat raspy from steadily crying.

Eric didn't say anything this time, but continued to stare at her and kept his rough grip on her wrist.

"What do _you_ want? Make your own choice, Eric," Laney said just above a whisper after a few moments of silence.

Eric stared at Laney hard a moment before suddenly releasing the grip on her wrist. He slid his hand down her arm, his grip much more delicate now as he inspected the wrist, seeing it already bruising. He scowled momentarily at his actions before softening his features completely and brought it to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on the discolored flesh.

Laney began to relax at his lips on her skin, his eyes no longer angry and icy. She closed her eyes, cherishing the feeling of his lips on her in case it was the last time she ever felt them, before she felt his large thumbs wipe the tears from her face. She allowed herself to lean more into him, standing flat on her feet once again, as she took in his masculine scent to commit it to memory, running her fingers over his skin.

She shuddered as Eric ran his hand down over the length of her braided ponytail, squeezing it gently as he made his way down to the end of it. Laney felt as he gripped the ends of her hair, tugging on it slightly so her head tilted back to make her look up at him. She opened her eyes to find his eyes staring straight into hers, swallowing at his overwhelming closeness.

Before Laney could even think of something to say or do next, Eric's lips were on hers as he wrapped his other arm around her waist almost possessively to pull her closer to him. His kisses were soft and slow, deepening them only a little bit after a few moments. His kisses reminded Laney of the Eric she had gotten to know while he had been healing, not the hard, distant person who Eric had been lately.

Her small hands ran down the solid muscles of his hairy chest and stomach before roaming around to his back, memorizing every square inch of how he felt beneath them. Laney released a moan as Eric ran his tongue languidly just under her bottom lip before she opened her mouth to allow him entrance. His tongue slowly massaged hers, in no hurry to escalate the moment.

Laney soon felt his large, rough hands slip underneath her tank top, running his hands ever so slowly and deliberately over the smooth skin of her sides and back. She in turn gasped into his mouth when he pulled her even closer, making it impossible for her not to notice his growing erection against her stomach.

Before things went any further, Laney broke away from his mouth, leaning her forehead against his own, their breathing ragged as their chests heaved up and down. She noticed as Eric closed his eyes, fearing that she may have angered him again at stopping them. "I'm sorry."

Eric wrapped his arms around her bare waist underneath her shirt, letting her feel his warmth as he held her. "Don't be, LJ."

"Are you sure?" Laney questioned, looking up at him.

"Positive," Eric answered her in a calm voice, leaning down some and placing a soft kiss onto her forehead. "I'll be content just to hold you the rest of the night if that's what you want."

Laney nodded, closing her eyes briefly as he kissed her forehead, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Okay."

Eric swiftly scooped her up into his arms bridal style and laid her onto his bed before joining her shortly after.

"You're not going to straighten it, first?" Laney asked curiously after they laid there a few minutes. She had to admit that the bed's chaotic state was bugging the crap out her, so she knew it had to be bothering him.

Eric thought a minute before getting back up. "You're right, it's going to annoy the hell out of me if I don't."

Laney let out a small laugh at that, getting up and shaking her head at him. She stood and watched as he painstakingly made the bed back up so there wasn't even a hint of a wrinkle in the sheets, never mind the fact that they were about to climb back underneath them. She couldn't help but smile as she watched him, his muscles flexing with each bend and lean that he made as he tucked the sheets in and under.

Laney didn't know where she and Eric stood exactly, and although it seemed that they were right back where they had started, they had somehow seemingly moved past their petty quarrels, at least for the time being. Laney decided that she would enjoy whatever parts of him that Eric allowed her to have, however much or little that might be. She couldn't and wouldn't ask him for more than that unless he wanted it first. She loved him no matter what, and that was enough for her for now.


	19. Author's Note

I know, I know. It's a dreaded Author's Note. I just wanted to give you guys an update about what's going on with me lately.

First off, I am so sorry, you guys! I know it's been forever since I've updated this story. It wasn't because I haven't wanted to, I just have not had time to write. My schedule changed to something different than I originally thought because an opportunity came up out of nowhere in a different department the same week I would have started my original shift. I'm now an Instructional Designer. I've been in that position for almost a month now, and I love it. It's not exactly what I really want to do (web design), but it's a lot more closely related than what I was actually hired to do.

With my schedule now a regular work day, I have zero time to myself since I'm still living at home for now. I probably won't be able to afford to move closer to where I work until the summer. I drive an a hour every day to and from work (yes, gas is killing me), so by the time I get home I'm so exhausted. If only I could write while I drove to and from work every day I'd be golden, although I'm sure that wouldn't be safe, lol. Even if there was some way to do it with just my voice, I would probably have so many errors and things that I would have to delete, it wouldn't be funny. I do sometimes get in a little bit of writing right before I go to sleep, but usually I'm either too tired to concentrate or I just don't feel like it that night. I'm also so behind on catching up with most of my followed stories on here. :( I occasionally get time during my lunch hour to write, but that's rare because I usually eat with other people.

But, there is light at the end of the long tunnel. I am writing _some_ —it's just a lot less than I used to write—and yes, I do fully intend to finish this story. A few weeks ago, I was trying to juggle writing two chapters for two stories at a time like I was doing before I got my job, but I'm just not able to do it anymore right now. I've finished and posted the part I was working on for my Jai Courtney story, so now my focus is to finish Chapter 18 for this one. It may be a lot slower than intended, but I will eventually post it. ;) Right now, this story has my full attention (or as much as I can give it at the moment), so hopefully soon I'll be posting an update for you guys.

Thank you guys so much for sticking with me. You guys rock!

\- Leah


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